Reawakening
by heatherlea75
Summary: When old memories begin to return, Jackie and Hyde struggle to deal with their emotions and with one another.
1. Something on the Television

Author's Note: This is my first That 70's Show fanfic, so bear that in mind! It will be angsty, but I believe in happy endings!I'm going to do my very best to stay in character, but I'm sure I'll slip. I'll try not to slip too far.This story won't be as comedic as the show...I'm not so great at comedy, but I just had to write about these characters! J/H primarily. Mild spoilers. Begins in the spring of Season 8. Oh, I don't really watch the show anymore, whichI know is odd, but I've read transcripts and spoilers, so I have a general idea of what's gone on. Some of the details may be wrong, and I apologize for that. Hope you enjoy!

**Reawakening **

Prologue - Something On the Television

The Forman basement was empty for once, and Jackie Burkhardt was glad. She was in no mood for company, and that was why she wasn't in her own apartment, lazing on her own couch. Her roommate Fez, whose last name she still didn't know, was there with his girlfriend. And she sure didn't need or want to be around any couple cuteness. It was a little odd being in the basement alone, but she'd done it before; all the gang had at one time or another. Red and Kitty didn't mind. Oh sure, Red grumbled but he didn't stop them. Jackie thought he secretly liked them being there all the time.

She brushed a strand of silken, raven-colored hair behind her ear and sighed heavily. Her eyes focused on the television set, but she wasn't really paying attention. "God," she muttered, closing her eyes. There had to be SOMETHING better to do than this. This was absolutely pathetic. This is what her life had become. Kind of like during that summer.

A familiar game show theme song began to play, and her eyes opened just in time to read "The Price Is Right" on the screen. Her heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively glanced to her right, but then snapped her head back. No reason to look over there. That summer was a million years ago, and she was over it. Over him. Completely over him.

She glared at the screen as excited contestants raced to the stage to meet Bob Barker. It used to be her favorite show. Now she couldn't stand it. But for some reason, she didn't get up to change the channel. It was hypnotic. Steven had told her once that the wheel must emit subliminal messages that made people do insane things they know they shouldn't do. He was probably right, because she really _should_ just leave.

Jackie started and looked over her shoulder when the back door to the basement opened. Her heart skipped another beat.

"What are you doing here?"

She shrugged as Steven Hyde walked in and looked at her crossly. And all her defenses rose, just because of that "God, why do I have to see you" look he was giving her. She didn't know why it bothered her. She'd seen it millions of times before. "Nothing," she said, unable to look away from him. He looked good today, so good, wearing that t-shirt and those jeans that always made him look so….NO! She cleared her throat and crossed her arms over her chest. "You know, since I have no boyfriend, no job and all." Unconsciously, she sat up straight and shook her hair off her shoulders.

He looked at her for a moment, his expression blank and true Zen. "Whatever," he said and headed towards the back of the basement where his bedroom used to be.

Jackie frowned. "Why are you going back there?"

No answer. She rolled her eyes and turned back to the television. So typical of him. She thought about leaving, but his returning footsteps kept her planted.

He sat down on the couch next to her, not close, and he didn't look at her. "I moved back down here after…Sam left."

She tensed. Sam. His wife. His whorey, stripper wife. The woman he'd married. He could never even say that he wanted to marry _her_, let alone do it, but he'd married a woman he didn't even know. The thought of Sam made her stomach turn. But what was worse was the catch in his voice on her name. Obviously her leaving bugged Steven. He must have grown to really care about her. Jackie's eyes burned and she tightened her arms around herself while blinking hard. "Oh. I see."

Why did he have to sit on the couch? Why couldn't he have sat on his chair?

And why did it seem that she WASN'T over him at all?

Bob Barker kissed an old lady, and Jackie was tempted to blurt out that the lady would never be able to reach the wheel. She'd done that before. That summer.

"So, The Price is Right," he commented dryly.

She shrugged. "Yeah, well, nothing else is on." She was trying so hard to not think about it, the way she'd looked at him, the way he'd looked at her. How they'd leaned toward each other, how his lips had pressed hers searchingly. How the beard he'd had tickled her soft skin. How his hands had been so strong on her, and so warm.

Jackie's body twitched, and she got to her feet. This was just too much.

How his fingers ran through her hair, how hers had become tangled in his. How they just couldn't stop kissing until they heard someone coming downstairs. How fast her heart pounded; how fast she'd felt his beating when he leaned her down on the couch.

"Leaving so soon? I'm disappointed."

The sarcasm in his voice burned her, and she quickly grabbed her purse off the coffee table. "W-wh…whatever," she stuttered, her face turning pink. Normally, she might take the time to mock him about the fact that his wife, a _stripper_, for heaven's sake, had abandoned him. But today…she just couldn't.

Must be something in the air. Or something on the television.

She summoned her pride and did her best flounce out of the basement, slamming the door behind her. Frustration spun wild inside of her. She was supposed to be over him. She was supposed to be _completely_ over him!

Inside, Hyde sat unmoving on the couch, his eyes staring at the television. He could still smell her light, sweet, scent. He had no idea what it was, nor did he care, it just smelled good. No woman had ever smelled as good as Jackie. Of course, he'd bet no woman had ever spent hours upon hours testing just which perfume worked the best with her body chemistry. Jackie had. Things like that were important to her.

Things like that were supposed to make her sicken him. But even now, after everything, they didn't.

He shook his head grumpily. Crap, he didn't want to be thinking about her. He'd done everything he could for the past several months to not think of her. Being married had helped. Too bad that was over. And too bad Jackie was still around. Why didn't she just go to Chicago? Or California? Or anywhere but Point Place?

She'd been wearing that purple shirt, the same one she'd worn that day, that summer. Same jeans too. And she looked just as hot as she had then. Maybe even more

so.

Definitely more so.

He rolled his eyes and stood up. This was making him extremely angry. He needed to go break a few laws, or get drunk, or hit his stash. Anything to stop thinking about her. He didn't need to be thinking about her. She was poison. Like Tahiti. Warm, beautiful, you wanted to go there, but then when you did, you were sick the rest of your life. And she made you stupid. He wasn't going to be stupid again. Stupid got you hur…well, it got you nothing at all.

He stalked to the television and glared fire at it. There was that stupid wheel. He reached down and turned it off. "Damn wheel," he mumbled. He blamed it all on the wheel. If not for that wheel and its subliminal messages, he never would have kissed Jackie that day, never would have started messing around with her.

Never would have fallen in….NO!

"Steven!"

He turned to look at the stairs behind him, and smiled at the petite woman he thought of as his mother. 'Thank GOD!' he thought. "Hi, Mrs. Forman." She looked excited, which wasn't entirely unusual for her, but this excitement seemed pretty intense.

"Steven, I'm so glad you're here! Come upstairs…I've got a surprise for you!"

She giggled and clapped her hands together. "Oh, you're just going to LOVE it!"

That gave him pause. "Actually, I was just going to…"

"Well, do it later! This is VERY important, Steven! Come on!" She turned and nearly bounced back up the stairs.

Hyde sighed. Somehow he doubted whether whatever Mrs. Forman's surprise was _really_ more important than his need to get baked. But it was Mrs. Forman. And a distraction. Hopefully whatever this surprise was would get his mind off of Jackie.

He headed for the stairs, but took the time to send one more glare to the television set.

"Damn wheel."


	2. Out of Africa

**Disclaimer: **Oops, forgot to do this on the prologue. I don't own any of these characters. I wouldn't live in an apartment if I did. 

**Reawakening **

Chapter 1 – Out of Africa; Burned Curtains 

Mrs. Forman's surprise was definitely a distraction. And a welcome one. A wide smile crossed Hyde's lips as he stood in the Forman's living room. And he truly felt the smile. "Forman, I'm not sure it's possible, but you look wimpier than ever," he said. He walked over to his long time best friend and gave him a quick hug.

Eric Forman chuckled and shrugged. "Yeah, well, I was deprived of my Mommy's fried chicken," he commented, giving a cheeky grin to his mother.

Kitty squealed and clapped her hands together. "Oh! My poor baby…you must be starving! I'm going to go make some for you right now."

Red Forman rolled his eyes. "Kitty, its ten o'clock in the morning."

She gave him a put-upon look. "Well, excuse me for wanting to feed my obviously starving baby boy!" She huffed and turned to walk into the kitchen.

Red shook his head and followed her.

Hyde lightly punched Eric's shoulder. "Man, what are you doing back? I thought you were staying an extra year."

For a second, Hyde thought Eric's face clouded over.

"Oh, well, I just...You know, Africa isn't that great," Eric said, trying to keep his voice light. "It's really hard to get a good stash of…" He glanced towards the kitchen door. "Oregano."

Hyde nodded. "Yeah." He crossed his arms across his chest. "This is about

Donna, isn't it?"

Eric shook his head. "What? No! What makes you think it would be about Donna? Donna and I are over. We were drifting apart, and I'm not back to see if we can get back together someday. No. That's not it at all."

Hyde snorted. "Whatever, Forman. Anyway, it's good to see you." He shook his head. "Even if you are an ass for what you did to Donna. By the way…." He punched Forman hard on the arm, and grinned when Eric yelped and winced. "Take it like a man. You deserve it."

Eric frowned and rubbed his arm. "So I heard that Kelso proposed to the devil."

Hyde closed his eyes briefly, just a moment too long.

"Oooo, did I touch a nerve?"

Hyde opened his eyes and rolled them. "No. So he proposed. I didn't give a crap." He shrugged and looked away. "She said no, anyway."

"What about this stripper you drunkenly married but who left you?"

Hyde's patience was wearing thin, and he glared heatedly at his friend. "Look, this isn't twenty questions, okay?"

Eric's expression and voice were puzzled. "Wait, what are you more upset about, the fact that your stripper wife left you, or that Kelso proposed to Jackie?"

Hyde reached out and popped another frog on Eric's arm. "Look, shut up! None of it matters! All of it's over. Kelso's gone, Sam's gone. Jackie is…whatever. It's over."

Eric nodded and again rubbed his arm. "Whatever, man. Just curious."

Hyde shifted on his feet uncomfortably and looked at the kitchen door. "Well, hey, it's only two of us since Fez is either feeling up his new girlfriend or babysitting Jackie, but how about circle time?" His need to get completely wasted was even greater now. Maybe Mrs. Forman's surprise hadn't been as pleasant as he'd initially thought.

Eric noticed the slight trace of bitterness in Hyde's voice when he said Jackie's name, but he decided to ignore it. "Now you're talking. Although, technically, if it's just you and me sitting across from one another, it won't be a circle, it'll be a line." He grinned, pleased with his coming comment. "So line time?"

Hyde shook his head and gave his friend a light shove. "Whatever, man, lets just go."

_The Hub _

Jackie stared at her ex-boyfriend. After wandering around Point Place aimlessly, she'd gone to the Hub for lunch. Alone, of course. To her shock, he'd shown up. Now they sat together at a table, and she was listening to his latest disaster story. "So you burned down the club?" She wasn't surprised. After all, he'd once almost burned her house down.

Michael Kelso shrugged in his patented sheepish manner. "It wasn't my fault!" Jackie raised an eyebrow at him, and his eyes widened. "Well, how was I supposed to know that alcohol is so easy to set on fire? No one ever told me! And how was I supposed to know that bottle had vodka in it? It was clear, like water! Anyone would make that mistake! I was trying to put OUT the curtains!"

She couldn't help but giggle at his expression, a mixture of a puppy being scolded and a little boy who sincerely didn't understand what he'd done wrong. "I'm sure you were just trying to help," she commented, slightly condescendingly. She reached out and patted his hand. "Just like always."

"I really was, Jackie," he replied fervently. He grinned appreciatively. "You've always gotten me."

Jackie shrugged, thinking to herself that there really wasn't all that much to get. The rather rude thought surprised her, because she'd always had a soft spot for Michael despite all the times he'd cheated on her and broken her heart. But after she'd found out he was planning on proposing to her, and when no one else was around, she'd found herself thinking about him, and them, a lot.

And she'd realized that he wasn't right for her. Nor was she right for him. Sure, she loved him, and she'd told him that, but not in the right way. Their time had come and gone, a long time ago. She wasn't in love with him and actually hadn't been, really, ever.

Not in the way she had - did - loved Steven.

NO!

"Look, Jackie, I want to talk to you. I mean, I lost my job in Chicago. I don't know why. I mean, they're rebuilding and everything. They're still gonna need security guards. Anyway, I'm coming back to Point Place…" He shook his head and held his hands up. "Now, don't get all excited on me. I know you're gonna want to get together, and I know I said that someday we'd be together. And I still think we will. In a few years or so. But Brooke wants me right now." He smiled cockily. "Like I didn't expect THAT to happen. But anyway, I just think, I mean with Betsy and all…"

Jackie smiled. "Its fine, Michael." She laughed at the rather dumb expression on his face. "I mean it. I'm fine with it." She squeezed his hand. "Be with the mother of your child."

Michael looked uncertain. "Well…okay, but Jackie, I mean, it's just for Betsy's sake. I mean, when she gets to be where she goes through all that…_girly_ stuff, I'm probably gonna have to leave. Can't deal with THAT." He slid his chair closer to Jackie's and slung an arm around her shoulder. "And if you ever have…you know, _physical_ needs…I'm here." He winked at her.

Jackie rolled her eyes. "It's good, Michael. We're good."

She couldn't help but remember that they'd had a slightly similar conversation when he returned from California after that summer. She remembered sitting on the couch, and how Steven had looked none too pleased at the way Michael was talking to and touching her. That was the first time she'd allowed herself to hope that their "fling" was more than just that.

Her smile faded. She HAD to stop thinking about the past. That summer, and everything it had given birth to, was long gone. She lowered her head and stared at the table. Why was it all feeling so fresh again? There was just no good reason for it to.

"Jackie, you okay?"

She slowly lifted her eyes to Michael, and she forced a slight smile. "Yeah, I'm fine."

He stared at her. She looked faraway, distracted. He could tell she wasn't thinking about him, because if she was, she'd be yelling at him. "What are you thinking about?"

Jackie looked away and answered without thinking. "Steven."

He nodded. "Thought so. Hey, you know Hyde's single now since his hot stripper wife left him." She gave him a dirty look and he shrugged innocently. "What? Oh, come ON, Jackie, you gotta admit she was hot! She was a STRIPPER!"

She stood up. She didn't need to be reminded that Steven had married a STRIPPER instead of HER. "I'll see you later, Michael."

Michael Kelso shook his head as she hurried away. "Poor kid," he mumbled. "Trying to replace me with…" His brow furrowed in confusion for a moment, but then he chuckled. "Damn, me and Hyde screwed her up bad!" And with that, he dug into the French fries she'd left on her plate.

_That night, the Forman basement _

Jackie stood awkwardly in front of the television, doing her best NOT to look at Steven. He sat on his normal chair, and although she tried her best, she repeatedly peeked over at him. He was smirking and shaking his head slightly, obviously amused.

"Well, I'd say that was the reunion Forman was hoping for," he said.

Jackie smiled uncertainly. "Yeah," she said. "I'm sure he wanted to get into a screaming match with Randy, only to have Donna push them both to the ground and then run out." She couldn't help but giggle. "Fez is so happy Michael is back. He's like a little puppy." Her brow furrowed. "They BOTH are."

Hyde's smile faded. He'd missed Kelso, but for some reason, seeing the easy way Kelso talked with Jackie, the easy way she talked to him, really irritated him. Some things never changed, as much as he wanted them to. That tinge of jealousy was still there, and he still hated it.

"I feel bad for Donna, though. I mean, now what's she going to do? It's an unusual thing for a lumberjack. I mean, it has moments, sure, but it's not really that great having two guys fighting over…." She trailed off and looked guiltily down at the ground.

Hyde stood up and crossed his arms over his chest. His eyes leveled on her downcast face. "Guess you know a little about that, huh?" His stomach tightened. This topic wasn't the most pleasant for him. Jackie had played that game quite skillfully.

She closed her eyes. "Steven…"

"Why are you wearing that outfit?"

Her eyes opened and she looked at him, surprised at the abrupt change of topic. And to CLOTHES? Steven was asking her about her CLOTHES? "What do you mean?" she asked. She glanced down at herself. Her Jordache jeans and a lavender, long sleeved, button down shirt. "I'm wearing it because I look so good in it."

"You trying to remind me of something? Is that your new game plan?"

Her heart stood still. She remembered now. She'd worn this on that day, that summer. She peered hard at his face in an attempt to see his eyes from behind his glasses. "No, I…" She could hardly breathe; all her breath was caught in her throat.

He remembered.

"I mean, it was so convenient that you were wearing that same outfit and watching the Price Is Right this morning. Wasn't it great that I was here to see that?"

She trembled, but not because of his biting implications. "You remember?" she whispered brokenly.

Hyde glared at her, suddenly full of anger and bitterness and feelings that seemed like regret and hurt; all things he didn't want to deal with. Ever. He hated the fact that the look on her face made his heart race and his mouth feel dry. And he hated that he was remembering how she used to kiss him in a way no other woman had ever done. NO other woman. And how her small, soft hands had touched him. How her petite frame molded to his with such passion and….NO!

He rolled his eyes and walked away, quickly heading for his bedroom.

She jumped slightly when he slammed the door, but smiled slowly. Her heart was now completely out of control, and she lifted her right hand to her chest.

"He remembers," she whispered, closing her eyes.

And the echo of that thought in her mind sent warmth dancing through her entire body.

Maybe…just MAYBE…maybe there was a chance.


	3. The Same Old Thing

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the characters.

**Warning: **Mild language.

**Reawakening **

Chapter 2 – The Same Old Thing

_Two weeks later _

"No pushing Styx albums on people, Forman. And none of that crap you used to roller disco to, either." Hyde shook his head when Forman just smiled back at him from the cash register of the record store he managed. After Forman had somehow convinced Donna they should get back together, Randy left, no notice, no goodbye, nothing, leaving Hyde in need of a clerk. Mrs. Forman pleaded with him to hire Forman so he could save for college. He'd given in even though he was sure it was a bad idea. But too late now. The deed was done.

"Hyde, what difference does it make what people buy?" Eric questioned with the same uncontrollable grin that had been on his face since he and Donna reunited. "A sale is a sale."

Hyde groaned. "No, man, why do you think I got rid of all the Andy Gibb? A sale of Andy Gibb is NOT a sale!" He threw his shoulders back. "You'll make me look bad. So don't." He grabbed a clipboard from the counter and walked away to take some inventory.

He busied himself by checking out some bins, counting records, jotting down notes. He managed to concentrate enough to only barely notice when Donna walked into the store, passing him with a short "hi". He mumbled a greeting but kept working, until the quietness of the store began to bother him. He looked around and sighed. No customers. Of course, it was early, but business had been a little slow lately, and it worried him.

"No, YOU are the sexiest little…"

Hyde rolled his eyes at the cooing coming out of Forman's mouth. "Shut the hell up, Forman," he growled. "You're bugging the customers."

Eric drew away from his girlfriend's lips and looked around. "And what customers would you be referring to?"

Hyde grinned sarcastically at Forman. "Fine. You're bugging ME." He shook his head and walked towards the counter.

Eric pulled Donna in closer to him, and he smiled adoringly at her. "So, Donna, isn't love grand?" He turned over his shoulder. "Hyde, don't you think love is grand?"

Donna rolled her eyes. "God, Eric, that's so cheesy!" Her eyes softened. "I've missed you so much!"

Hyde again rolled his eyes while the two sickeningly sweet lovebirds hugged. "God, knock it off, man," he said tightly. "Seriously, you're both sick freaks."

The door of the store opened, and Hyde glanced up to see Kelso, Fez and Jackie walk in. They were all laughing at something, and called out chirping hellos. His fingers tightened around the clipboard for some reason, and he stared at the three of them as they sat down in the listening pit. "They're like the Three Musketeers lately," he said, unaware of the almost biting tone his words had. He watched her take off her coat and make herself comfortable on the couch.

She was wearing that off the shoulder, creamy colored dress she'd worn the day Kelso came back from California. The day he'd had to watch for the first of so very many times as Kelso hit on her. She glanced over her shoulder and gave him a slight smile, and he turned away from it.

Games. She was always playing games, and this dress was just another ploy.

But she looked incredibly beautiful. As always. And it bothered him. As always.

Donna and Eric exchanged looks, and she moved slightly away from him towards Hyde. "Hey Hyde," she said. "You know that Brooke is moving back to Point Place to be with Kelso, don't you? He and Jackie are through for good. And Fez…well, he's just Fez."

He shrugged and gave her a scoffing look. "Doesn't matter to me," he said.

Donna looked at Eric, and he nodded. They both knew better. Hyde was lying, whether he would admit it or not.

Jackie hesitated slightly before pulling the door to Steven's record store open. She was nervous; this plan depended on Steven having some degree of sentimentality. Unfortunately, he wasn't exactly known for it.

She took a deep breath and reminded her of that t-shirt he'd given her. And not just any t-shirt, his favorite one. He'd smiled when she asked if she had to wear it, and he'd smiled even more when she actually had worn it on one of their dates. Yeah, somewhere inside of him there was something soft. She used to be able to reach it. And she'd do it again.

With a smile, she opened the door and walked in. The store was empty again, she noticed, and Steven stood at the counter looking a bit perturbed. 'I'll cheer him up,' she thought. "Hey Steven."

Hyde glanced up. "Hey," he said. Damn. He was in no mood for her. After she and her two lapdogs left this morning, he'd hardly been able to stop thinking about her and that stupid dress. And her shoulders. And her hair. Her lips and eyes. He wanted to look away as she pranced up to him, but he couldn't.

"So, I was thinking that if you're not busy….maybe we could go have dinner at the Sizzler. My treat." She smiled sweetly. "Maybe I'll even buy you some new boots."

He blinked. "Look, Jackie," he started slowly, trying to keep his temper in check. She was really going all out to try to get to him. But she wasn't going to. "You gotta stop this, okay?"

Jackie bit her lip nervously. "Stop what?"

He gestured at her. "Bringing up the past…that dress… asking me to go to the Sizzler." He shook his head and looked at her harshly. "I don't want to remember it, and we're sure as hell not going back to it. So just cut it out."

She swallowed hard and brushed her hair off her shoulder. "You're growing a beard again," she pointed out, flicking her hand up towards his face. Funny, she thought, how that hadn't started again until after that evening in the basement when he'd commented about her outfit.

"Not because I'm trying to manipulate you. I'm just too lazy to shave."

She looked down. Sure, she was trying to manipulate him. It was what she did. But he made it sound so evil. It wasn't evil. It was motivated by what she'd finally come to accept she still felt for him; love. "Look, Steven, I just thought that you'd like some company. I know the store isn't doing so well right now…"

Hyde pursed his lips.

"And you've been alone a lot again. I just…"

He shook his head and spoke before she could say they should be alone together. "I don't want _your_ company, Jackie, okay?" His chest felt tight as he spat the words at her, and yet, he knew for the sake of his sanity, he had to. He and Jackie just didn't work together. Yeah, there'd been some good times…some great times…but it always ended up badly. Yeah, he' been happ…less pissed off. But it always went wrong. He didn't need to go through that again.

And neither did she.

Tears pierced her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. And she refused to look away from him, even though her face began to feel hot. She summoned her pride. God, what had she been thinking? He was just a jerk! A heartless jerk! "You know what? That's cool," she said as haughtily as she could. Her eyes narrowed into a glare. "The Sizzler is too good for you anyway. You belong in ratty bars and nasty strip clubs full of cheap whores. After all, cheap whores are your type, right?" Her eyes flashed fire at him for a full ten seconds before she turned away from him.

Hyde's Adam's apple bounced in his throat as he watched her turn and flounce out of the store, and his eyes bored holes into her retreating form. "Bitch," he mumbled angrily.

He hadn't missed the pain in her voice, though, and that stung. She was still hurt. He'd thought she was long over his marriage to Sam, but apparently she wasn't.

He shook his head and turned to head back to his office. No. He wasn't going to feel guilty. After all, this was just a game. She was probably just trying to work some angle, to play with him in order to yank Kelso's chain.

And he wasn't going to let her.

_That evening, the basement _

"Why are we watching this? God, I think this is the stupidest show I've ever seen." Hyde shifted in his chair. He just couldn't get comfortable. He was antsy, restless, but there wasn't anything in particular he wanted to go do.

Eric smiled and put his arm around Donna's shoulders as they sat on the couch. "Ahhh, it's so good to be home," he mused. "Hyde's back to being a pissed off guy in my basement." He looked at Donna. "And I like it!"

"Get bent, Forman," Hyde snapped, crossing his arms over his chest and staring at the show he detested. He shook his head. This night was not shaping up well. The only good part about it was that Jackie wasn't here.

Fez stood in back of the couch, as usual eating candy. "You know, Hyde, I was going to offer you some of my candy. But I don't think I will, since you started growing that beard again me without consulting me." He shook his head. "To mask such a beautiful face is just wrong."

Everyone gave Fez weird looks, and he held up a hand. "I said wrong!"

Hyde rolled his eyes and muttered something incomprehensible.

Kelso, sitting on the couch nearest to Hyde's chair, laughed. "Aw, Hyde's just mad cause his hot stripper wife left him for another man." He winced when Hyde's fist pounded his arm, and immediately began to rub it. "Damn, Hyde! I'm just SAYIN'!"

Hyde stood up. "Whatever," he said. And without another word, he quickly walked to his room.

Just as he did, the basement door opened, and Jackie walked in.

Fez smiled and stood up. "Ah, Jackie," he cooed. "Would you like to go to the Hub? We could share a milkshake." He stared at her thoughtfully. "And you can take your top off."

Jackie looked at him in disgust. Fez could be so creepy, even though he was her friend. "I don't think so, Fez," she said, her voice unusually quiet. She looked around. "Is Steven here?"

Donna nodded. "He's in his room."

Jackie nodded back. "Oh." She gave Donna a pleading look. "I uh…I kind of want to talk to him."

Kelso shrugged. "Good luck with that. He's all grumpy because his hot stripper wife is gone."

Jackie sighed impatiently. "Look, could you guys please leave? I want to talk to Steven and I want to do it in private."

Kelso pouted as the others stood up. "But I wanna stay and listen!"

Donna rolled her eyes and pulled him to his feet. "Lets go, King of the Idiots." She pushed him towards the basement door and glanced back at Jackie. "Good luck"

Jackie watched the others leave, standing in the basement until Fez closed the door behind them, and then she took a deep breath. Her eyes were sore, but she'd managed to mask their redness and puffiness. She just hoped that he would be willing to listen to her.

She started to walk back towards his room, but stopped when he came out. "Steven," she breathed, her heart instantly beating faster. Just the sight of him did that to her. It always had.

"What do you want, Jackie?" Hyde asked coolly. He fixed his face in his best Zen mask. This wasn't bothering him. He was just going with the flow. Nothing could penetrate.

She noticed, and twisted her fingers together. "I just…I just want to talk to you for a few minutes." She licked her lips. "Please." All he did was stare at her, and she frowned. "Steven, please."

Hyde closed his eyes for a moment. "Fine. Talk." She smiled, and he raised an eyebrow. "You've got five minutes."


	4. The Thing Is

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the show or characters.

**Warning: **Mild language

**AN: **Thanks to those of you that are reading! And a special thanks to those who have left reviews. Those are so nice. I'm going to try to keep updating quickly, but my weekend over and it's back to work, so it might take longer to get the next few chapters. I don't think the storyline is particularly creative, but it's the story in my head, so I'm going to write it as it is there. Hopefully some things about it will be different. :)

**Reawakening **

_Chapter 3 – The Thing Is… _

Jackie sighed nervously. Nothing like a little pressure to make a girl forget the carefully scripted conversation she'd been planning since the scene at the record store. And it wasn't like this was going to be a piece of cake. Apologizing never came easy to her, especially when she still half-felt she'd been entitled to say what she'd said. She twisted her fingers together anxiously. She had to apologize. The look on Steven's face after she'd said what she'd said was really bothering her. Much as she'd hated him recently, hurting him wasn't something she enjoyed. Not really. Not even when he really deserved it. "Look, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry," she said, rushing the words so she wouldn't let herself change her mind. "About what I said earlier. I…I shouldn't have said that."

Hyde shrugged. "Whatever," he answered. "I don't even remember what you said." He was surprised that she was apologizing; Jackie had her pride. And truth be told, he wasn't sure _why_ she was. He'd been pretty harsh with her. Of course, he'd had to be. Just like he had to be now. Because damn it, her game was working. He'd spent all afternoon thinking about how things used to be between them.

The condescension in his voice and that damn shrug of his made her furious. She glared heatedly at him. "Why are you being such a jerk to me, Steven?" she snapped.

He rolled his eyes and brushed past her, heading for his chair. "Because you're playing some sort of game with me and you should stop." He sat down, crossed his arms over his chest and looked over at her. "It's not going to work."

Jackie followed him and sat down on the arm of the couch. She frowned. Could he really have figured her out? Could he really read her that easily? She decided to pretend that he was wrong, that she wasn't doing anything at all, and molded her expression into one of disdain. "Steven, I think you're losing it. I'm not playing any game with you."

Hyde shook his head. "Like hell you're not. You think you're reminding me of the past with your clothes, the freaking Sizzler…you're not, okay? Whatever you think you're going to get out of this, you're not. So just give it up."

Her heart clenched, and before she could stop herself, she found honest words pouring out of her mouth. "Steven, I was just…" She leaned forward. "I was just so surprised when you remembered my outfit. And…happy."

He looked at her, confused by the expression on her face. She was staring down at the ground, her beautiful features softened by something. He watched her lips tighten as if she was holding in tears. And when she looked up again, meeting his eyes, he noticed that hers were shining. Damn. He had to work hard to steel himself. Vulnerability from her, for some reason, had always managed to get to him.

"I mean, after all that's happened this year, I thought you'd completely forgotten what we had….us. And it hurt. So I…" She trailed off and looked away. She really hated feeling this exposed. She really hated being this unguardedly open. And damn it, he knew it. Her shoulders tightened and she wrapped her arms around herself. "It just made me happy that you remembered." She closed her eyes. She would not cry. She would NOT cry.

Hyde groaned inwardly. He could feel her getting inside him; cutting a hole in his Zen so she could slither her way in and snake herself around him. No. Don't let her. Not again. Never again. It would just end badly for both of them. Better to hurt her now then to risk hurting one another much worse down the road. And it would come to that. It always had. He took a breath. "Jackie, I'm forgetting whatever…that was with us. And that's the way I want it." He lifted his shoulders. "I've been forgetting ever since I came back from Vegas. And its working."

_Sort of_, he thought. _At least it HAD been. Sort of. In a way. _

The ache around her heart throbbed stronger, and her hands trembled. The ice in his voice, in a way only he could, chilled her to the bone. She gripped her waist tightly. "You…you want to forget everything? Even that I love…loved you? And that…that you loved me?" She furrowed her brow as he went into his Zen mode and stared at the floor in front of him as if nothing was happening around him. "Steven?"

"I don't need to forget that."

Jackie cocked her head to the side, unsure of how to take that. "What does that mean?"

Hyde looked straight at her, grateful for the glasses that shielded the way he was sure his eyes were betraying him. "Well, the thing is, I never loved you." He shrugged again. "Don't need to forget something I never felt."

She stared at him so hard that everything around him disappeared. Her heart begged for him to look down, or even just away from her eyes so she could convince herself that he was lying. But he didn't. He didn't move at all.

Her heart shredded. The one thing she'd had to cling to when she missed him desperately; the solitary and usually only slightly comforting consolation ; the only thing left that she could call hope; the memory of and knowledge that he had at one time loved her, was gone. She tried to keep her composure, tried to tell herself it didn't matter. But she didn't, and it did. She wanted to remember the Zen he'd taught her years ago, but it wasn't there. She'd never mastered it the way he had. All she could do was sit there, her mouth opening to speak but only releasing a quiet choking sound.

Hyde watched her crumble into tears, and he closed his eyes. She wore her heart on her sleeve, always, and it was times like this when he really hated that. Because it got to him. Damn it, it was getting to him now. She looked tortured because of him. Again. Instant regret filled his stomach, and he sighed. "Look, Jackie…"

"No!" she cried, standing up and rushing towards the basement door, her hair flying, her body visibly trembling. She nearly tripped on her way around the couch. The door slammed behind her with surprising force.

And he sat still.

That softness she always opened in him wanted him to go after her and tell her he'd lied. Funny how he never wanted to lie to her to make her feel better but was perfectly willing to lie to her to hurt her.

But he had to. He HAD to.

And he had. Now it was over for good. She wouldn't try to get to him anymore, he was certain of that. Oh, eventually she'd talk to him again. She'd burn him as often as she was able to. But she wouldn't ever try to get to him again. And that was a relief. Or at least it would be. Someday.

Hyde took his glasses off and stared in front of him, at nothing.

Finally over. He supposed Jackie would call this "closure". Probably got that from her Vogue or Cosmo or something.

Closure.

He shook his head and closed his eyes. Closure sucked.

_Later that evening _

A heavy rain broke out in the late afternoon and continued on into the evening with occasional clasps of thunder and streaks of lightning. The storm was so bad that no one was inclined to go out, at least not anywhere other than the Forman basement. The group sat around, Hyde in his chair, Eric, Donna and Fez on the couch, and Kelso on the lawn chair, watching tv, eating popsicles, and generally not doing anything much different than the did every other night of their lives.

"I wonder where Jackie is," Donna said. She sucked her popsicle and narrowed her eyes. "She's been MIA for hours now. I'd say she's hanging out with other friends, but she doesn't have other friends to hang out with."

Fez nodded. "I bet she went shopping." He smiled. "And I hope she buys me a fuzzy sweater." Everyone looked at him, and he shook his head, eyes widening. "I mean, I hope she buys HERSELF a fuzzy sweater."

Kelso licked his popsicle and nodded. "Hey, maybe if we tell her it was stolen, she'll take it off." He chuckled and raised his eyebrows at Fez.

Fez clapped his hands together. "Oh, I hope so. We could all use some Jackie boob."

Hyde rolled his eyes and toyed with the glasses he'd hooked on the collar of this t-shirt. "Personally, I'd be happy to never see her again."

Eric looked at his friend. "My my, Hyde, that's cold. You know, when you talk about Jackie these days you sound an awful lot like you did before you two…"

Donna interrupted, giggling. "Started frenching like a couple of French people at a frenching festival."

Eric looked at her, then nodded proudly at Hyde. "What she said."

Hyde didn't allow himself to react, except to say two words. "Get bent." He stared at the television, even though the show Kelso insisted on watching was one of the stupidest shows on the planet. That wasn't surprising, since it was Kelso's favorite show.

"Kids!"

The group looked behind to see Kitty Forman rushing down the stairs. Normally when this happened, she had a peppy look on her face and in her voice. Neither was present this time, and they watched silently as she moved to the television and turned it off.

Kelso frowned. "Hey, I was watching that!"

Hyde muttered under his breath. "Thank God."

Kitty just shook her head, and Eric noticed that she looked pale and shaken. He sat up. "Mom, what's wrong?"

"I just got a call from Bob. You know, since Jackie's father is still…" Her voice hushed. "_Away_…and her mother is…" Her brow furrowed. "Well, who the heck knows where her mother is! Bob is still her guardian. Her next of kin."

Hyde frowned. Next of kin?

"Jackie's been in a car accident."


	5. Tears of the Heartless

**Disclaimer: **Don't owncharacters/show.

**Warning: **Mild language

**AN:**Thank you so much for the reviews!I really appreciate them...and you've all been verygenerous with my little story.And thank you toeveryone who is reading it. It'sbeen a lot of fun to write so far.

**Reawakening **

Chapter 4 – Tears of the Heartless

Her words were met with silence, and Kitty hurried on. "Apparently, she was driving too fast, and in this rain." She shook her head sadly, worriedly. "Her car lost control and turned over into a ditch just outside of town."

Kelso shook his head. "Jackie just can't drive. Remember what she did to my van?"

Everyone glared at him. "KELSO!" He shrugged, completely oblivious.

Kitty slowly closed then opened her eyes, and her normally strident voice softened. "It's serious. She's..." Her voice broke with tears. Jackie had spent so much time in her home, just like the rest of the kids, and Kitty had come to love her in spite of the fact that she was a spoiled brat. "She's in surgery, and I guess it's not…it's not looking good."

The basement had never been as quiet as it was then, not even when it was empty. None of them had ever imagined something like this happening. This was serious. This was…literally life and death. People moving away was one thing; they could always come back. They HAD come back.

"And I thought that since she really doesn't have any family," Kitty continued, "we should all go down to the hospital."

Eric, Fez, Kelso and Donna all stood up, all agreeing with Kitty in quiet, stunned tones. Donna held her boyfriend's hand and looked at him. He tried to smile, but he couldn't quite manage it. Donna glanced to her right and frowned. "Aren't you coming, Hyde?" she asked.

Hyde still sat in his chair, his glasses now on, his arms crossed, his gaze fixated on the now silent television. He lifted his shoulders a fraction of an inch. "No."

_"It just made me happy that you remembered." _

Donna glared at him. Tears hovered in her eyes. Somewhere along the line, Jackie had become her best friend, and the thought of her being hurt, maybe even dying… "Why not?"

He didn't move. "She won't know anyone's there."

_"I've been forgetting ever since I came back from Vegas. And its working." _

Donna looked incredulously at Eric, and even Eric, never one of Jackie's biggest fans, was disgusted at the attitude. "So? What about if she wakes up?"

"IF?" Donna cried, looking at Eric.

Hyde shrugged again. "Worry about it then." His voice was tight and controlled. No one could even sense the screaming in his gut.

_"You…you want to forget everything? Even that I love…loved you? And that…that you loved me?" _

Donna turned an irate glare to Hyde. "Aren't you even worried? Don't you even care that Jackie's hurt?"

He didn't answer, and could only pray that no one noticed how he kept swallowing. Or how his left index finger tapped wildly against his right arm.

_"Well, the thing is, I never loved you." _

"God, I can't believe you, Hyde!"

He closed his eyes. "Look, she won't need me there, okay? You guys will be there. She won't care who showers her with attention, just as long as someone does."

_She won't want me there, is more like it. Not after what I said…the last thing I said…the LAST thing I said to her. _

Donna's lips trembled, and never before had she felt this much disdain, near hatred, for Hyde. "You really are a heartless bastard, aren't you?" she growled. She shook her head and tugged on Eric's hand, nearly pulling him off his feet. "Come on."

Hyde remained in his near paralysis as the others began to leave the basement. Fez stopped near his chair and pouted down at him. "Just so you know, Hyde, I am very disappointed in you." He huffed and followed Donna and Eric.

Kelso shook his head. "Man, I thought Jackie was gonna give up on me just cause I'm with Brooke now and settle for you, but I'm pretty sure that when she hears about this, I'm gonna be juggling two women again!"

Hyde sat still, listening until the last of the footsteps faded away. He released a breath and took his glasses off, tossing them to the table. He stood up, feeling numb all over, and stiffly walked towards his room. He sat down on his cot and stared at the floor.

She'd been crying when she left. And it had been raining when she left. Crying, rain on the windshield, wet roads…her car losing control. Rolling over into a ditch. With her in it. And now she was hurt…might even…might even…

His chest became knotted into tight and painful coils. Guilt?

He shivered. He felt so cold all over. Fear?

It was his fault. All his fault. He'd lied to her, hurt her, made her cry, sent her out into the rain. She'd driven with those words he'd spoken to her ringing in her ears. It was his fault.

His eyes closed. She could die. Jackie could die, and the last thing he would have said to her would be that he never loved her. A lie, but she'd believed it. He'd seen it in her eyes. She'd believed it, and she'd felt it.

Hyde's eyes closed. "God, Jackie," he whispered. Damn, his throat was so tight! And it was like a boulder was sitting on his chest now, heavier each second. His eyes were beginning to feel sore, but he wasn't going to cry. Hadn't cried in years.

Jackie.

For some reason, he leaned over to reach underneath his cot and pulled out a shoebox. He opened it and looked at the red lunch bag inside. It had his name and a smiling heart drawn on it. Why he still had it, why he'd even kept it in the first place, he had never quite understood. She'd made him lunch on his first day of work at his father's company and put it in this bag, along with a little troll doll saying that it was the first day of the rest of his life. So what? So she'd made him lunch. It had been so damn cheesy.

But so damn sweet. Loving. And typical Jackie. Underneath all the shallow, self-serving and centered bravado was a genuinely caring soul. Sure, her methods of showing that care weren't always…conventional. Like when she'd redecorated his room in frilly, girly stuff. Or when she'd followed him to work to bring that lunch, and of course the suit it was wrapped in. And when she'd followed him to the lunch he'd had with his father in order to take pictures of them. And sometimes her tactics drove him crazy, like when she pestered him and pestered him to meet his father. Then later, pestered and pestered him to call his father. She'd always cared so much. More than he deserved.

The shoebox slipped out of his hands and fell to the floor.

She'd be at the hospital right now if he'd been the one in the accident. She'd be driving the doctors and nurses absolutely bonkers with questions, just to find out if he was okay. More accurately, to demand that he be okay. She wouldn't be staying away, not even now. Not even after he'd broken her heart. Again.

"Damn it!"

He stood up and started to pace, hoping that the movement would ease the pain in his chest, but it didn't help. He wanted to get violent, throw things around, break things, destroy things. But he couldn't. His entire body felt drained. And the boulder on his chest was getting bigger, spreading up towards his throat. Maybe lying down would help.

It didn't. He still couldn't breathe. His jaw tightened, but shook, his hands gripped his blankets, he steeled himself as best as he could. He would NOT cry. No matter how much he hur…no matter what.

But one flashing thought destroyed his will.

Jackie could be dead right now.

His entire face twisted, and the burning in his eyes erupted.

_Two hours later, the hospital _

Donna sat in the uncomfortable waiting room chair, her head resting on Eric's shoulder. They'd been here for two hours, and Jackie was still in surgery. No one said much of anything as they waited. The silence bothered her, made her feel even more scared, but the again, she couldn't think about any conversation she really wanted to have right now. She stared at the floor in front of her, at Kelso's feet, and prayed that Eric's gentle stroking of her shoulder would somehow make it easier.

"Well, well, well. Look who FINALLY decided to show up."

Donna lifted her head when Kelso spoke, and turned to see Hyde standing in the doorway of the waiting room the group had set up camp in. She pursed her lips. _Bastard_, she thought. Strolling in her so casually when Jackie was…She turned her head into Eric's shoulder. This couldn't really be happening.

Hyde glared at Kelso, but otherwise ignored him. "Any news?"

Donna sat up, but didn't look at him. She did notice that his voice was strained, almost hoarse. And for some perverse reason, that pleased her.

Eric shook his head. "No. She's still in surgery."

Hyde nodded. _At least she wasn't…_He cleared his throat. "Anyone try to get a hold of her mom?"

Bob Pinciotti sat with Kelso and Fez on a couch across from the one Donna and Eric sat on. "I called earlier. She was…unavailable."

Hyde shook his head in disgust. "Typical." Jackie had not been blessed in the parent department, a misfortune they shared. He glanced at Donna and Eric; Donna refused to look at him. Obviously she was pissed.

He couldn't really blame her.

He sighed and sat down next to her. Not thinking about it, he took off his glasses and hooked them on his shirt, and closed his eyes.

Donna glared at him. "You know, you really…." Her voice trailed off when he looked at her and she saw his face. His eyes were swollen, and red. For a moment, she didn't know what to say. This was nothing she'd ever seen before, nor had she ever expected to see it. "Oh my god…you're…you…" She lifted a hand and pointed towards his eyes.

Hyde stared at her coolly for a moment, then turned and quickly put his glasses back on. He thought about making up some excuse, like that he'd been burning himself just before he'd come here and his eyes, for some reason, had reacted badly. But he didn't. He just crossed his arms in front of him and stared at the floor.

Donna almost smiled. How had she not realized what Hyde had been doing? Jackie would have known. Instantly. But Jackie was…Jackie was… Donna's eyes closed.

"She's going to be okay, Donna. I know she is."

Eric's sweet voice brought her a tiny sap of relief, and she nodded. "Of course she is," she answered, her voice tight and forced. She looked at Hyde. "She's going to be okay, Hyde." A pause. "Right?"

Hyde swallowed hard. His eyes stayed focused on the ugly white flooring. "I…I don't know," he muttered.

_That's all I ever say. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. _

His head shook slightly.

_I'm sorry, Jackie. _


	6. Waking, Sleeping Nightmare

**Disclaimer: **Don't own any characters or the show.

**Warning: **Mild language

**AN: **As always, thanks so much for the reviews! I'm so glad you've been enjoying this story and hope you continue to! Sorry it's been a few days since I've updated. Work sucks. If only I could win the lottery or publish a best selling novel or something. :giggle:And jackiehydelover...don't you worry. I'm not going that route. When I started this, I knew that people might think I would, and I knew that I wouldn't since it has been done so much.

**Reawakening **

Chapter 5 -Waking, SleepingNightmare

Hours passed at an agonizing pace, and soon, Kelso and Fez had fallen fast asleep, Fez's head comfortably on Kelso's shoulder. Hyde glared at them. How on earth could they sleep? How could they find that kind of peace? Especially when no one was telling them anything at all about Jackie's condition, or why the surgery was taking so long.

On the few occasions the waiting group was updated, all that was said was that complications had developed. Complications. What THAT meant, Hyde figured, was that the doctors didn't know what the hell they were doing. And that Jackie was in worse trouble than she had been when they'd picked up their knives and cut into her.

He was frustrated, and the guilt that pecked away at what sanity he still had left him exhausted. But he couldn't sleep. No way could he sleep. And he couldn't just sit here anymore. He stood up. "I gotta get out of here," he mumbled in the direction of the equally exhausted looking Donna and Eric. They looked at him questioningly, but he just shook his head. "See ya later."

Donna nudged Eric with her elbow as Hyde left the waiting room in a rush. "Go after him," she ordered. "Jackie needs him."

Eric nodded and stood to hurry after Hyde. As soon as he reached the hallway, he broke into a jog. Hyde could really move fast when motivated. "Hyde! Hey…wait up!"

Hyde stopped walking and turned around. He glared at Forman. "What?"

Eric frowned. "Hey, man, come on. I know it's frustrating, but you gotta stick it out."

Hyde did his best to appear Zen. "No, I don't." He turned again, but Forman grabbed his arm and wouldn't let him walk away. He closed his eyes and sighed heavily. "WHAT?"

Eric sighed. "Look, I know you and Jackie aren't on the best terms right now. But this is…man, she needs us." He looked imploringly at his friend. "She needs YOU."

The Zen failed, and Hyde felt himself begin to lose it. He shook his head almost wildly, and he could hardly keep Forman in focus. "Look, I just can't be here if she…if she…" His voice cracked like it hadn't since he was twelve. "When she…" He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and begged for some control. Had to get that control back. Could NOT let this get to him.

"She might not," Eric replied, but his voice was thin and soft, completely unconvincing even to his own ears.

"I just can't be here, alright?" Hyde's voice was tight, cold, controlled, and he stared at Forman but didn't really see him.

Eric rolled his eyes impatiently. "Why NOT?" There were times when Hyde's disregard of seemingly everything sickened him, and this was one of those times. "God, Hyde, Jackie could die, and you want to take off just like…"

"Okay, say that you and Donna broke up," Hyde interrupted loudly, his face turning red, his voice rising. "Say you had a fight. Say you told her that you never loved her." He swallowed hard. The look on Jackie's face when he'd said that was right there in front of his eyes. Damn guilt. He was almost dizzy with it from the inside out. "And then say she left, went out driving in the rain and rolled her car into a ditch." He paused, looking angrily, sadly, painfully, guiltily at Eric's dumbstruck face. "Say all that happened. Would you want to be at the hospital when she…when she…" There was that voice cracking, and he turned away from Forman. His chest was flattened again by that same damn boulder that had been there since Mrs. Forman told them about Jackie's accident. He could hardly breathe.

Eric kept staring at his friend. "What? You…you told her that…" It was almost impossible to comprehend. It was heartless, even for Hyde. And it didn't make sense. If he'd never loved Jackie, why had he put up with the girl for so long? Why had he always wanted her back when they broke up? The look on Hyde's face was disturbing, too. It was as if this was torturing him, if it was possible for anything to torture him. Eric was at a complete loss, and he just stood there gaping.

Hyde blinked slowly, uncomfortable at the scrutiny, then shook his head so slightly it was nearly imperceptible. "Forget it. I'm fine. I just gotta…"

"Hey guys!"

Hyde and Eric looked back towards the waiting room entrance, and Donna came jogging towards them bearing a half smile. "Jackie's out of surgery. She's…she's…" Her eyes closed for a moment. "She's going to be okay. They stopped all the internal bleeding; she lost a kidney, but she's…she's okay." She looked at Eric, and her eyes overflowed with relieved tears. "She's going to be okay!"

Eric smiled and put his arms around his girlfriend. "Thank God," he said. And somewhat to his surprise, he genuinely meant it. Like it or not, Jackie had become a part of his life. And like it or not, he cared about her. Like it or not, he was thanking God that she was going to live and be okay. He looked at Hyde, but saw nothing. The Zen mask was up again. The only thing Eric saw that indicated any feeling at all was the rapid movement in his throat. "Did you hear that, Hyde? She's gonna be okay."

Hyde stood still, his body stiff as a board. He nodded slightly. "I heard," he muttered.

His eyes closed. Jackie was going to be okay. The boulder on his chest seemed to break apart, and he found himself thanking a God he didn't necessarily believe in for sparing her life.

Hyde stood outside the recovery room Jackie had been put in, looking left and right for any doctors or nurses who would tell him to get the hell out of there. No one was there, the hallway was empty, and so he opened the door as quietly as he could and crept in. The others had gone home after being told that they wouldn't be able to see Jackie for at least another six hours. He'd pretended to, but then sneaked back. He had to see her, and he didn't give a damn whether he was allowed to or not.

The room was dark, except for one small light near Jackie's bed. Its glow was cast on her face, and even though he stood about fifteen feet away from her, he could see the bruising and cuts. He slowly walked towards her, and the damage became clearer. He winced. A black, swollen bruise ringed her left eye and long, jagged cuts ran down her left cheek. More bruising marred her forehead and chin, and her lips and nose had dried blood crusted on them. No one better give her a mirror when she woke up. Jackie was so confident in and proud of her beauty, rightly so, but seeing herself this way might send her into cardiac arrest.

He stood next to her bed and looked down at her, watching the rise and fall of her chest. It was gentle, not labored, and for some reason, he thought he could watch that forever, just her breathing in her sleep. He wanted to take her hand, but just as he reached out, something inside pulled his arm away.

After a few minutes, he decided to sit down for a while, just a little while. His body was so incredibly sore; this was a kind of exhaustion he'd never known before. As he settled in a chair about five feet from Jackie's bedside, he glanced over his shoulder at the window. The darkness of the night was beginning to birth dawn. Another day. And thankfully, another day for Jackie.

He gazed at her for awhile until his eyelids became too heavy to bear. _I'll just close them for a minute_, he told himself.

After what seemed like only a few seconds, Hyde heard muffled voices coming from Jackie's bed, and he flipped his eyes open. He frowned in confusion. Five people stood around her bed in scrubs, obviously doctors or nurses, or both. They paid him no attention, and he sat up straight. Why hadn't they noticed him? He glanced at the door and thought about sneaking out, but when the voices cleared he found that he couldn't move.

"Things aren't looking good for this poor girl."

Hyde furrowed his brow. What? The doctors had told them that she was going to be fine. Probably just a plot to get them to spend more money on flowers and balloons and cards and all that garbage in the hospital's gift shop.

"It's her heart. It's been broken once too often."

"What happened?"

"That scruffy guy named Steven she loved with all her heart told her that he never loved her. That's why she was driving too fast in the rain. And that's why she's here."

Hyde opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, the people around Jackie's bed turned to face him.

All of their faces were Jackie's face.

"YOU KILLED ME! YOU KILLED ME!"

Hyde's body jerked, and his eyes opened wide. His heart raced furiously, and he panted. His hands held the sides of the chair with a death grip. "No," he whispered. He stared at Jackie's bed, but there was no one there. The five Jackie's were gone.

He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. He must have dreamed it. He must have fallen asleep and dreamed it. He felt like he'd just come down off a bad acid trip.

It started to make him angry. He didn't like all this upheaval. First the crying, then the confiding in Forman, now the nightmares. No. This wasn't him. It wasn't. He was NOT this guy. And he wasn't going to BE this guy.

He stood up and shook his head. Time to go get drunk and sleep off this misery. He'd be thinking so much clearer after that. He'd have perspective back.

And without looking at Jackie, he strode purposefully towards the door.

But a slight sound, a whimper similar to the mew of a newborn kitten stopped him. He turned and noticed that Jackie's head was rolling slightly on her pillow. And his heart stopped for a moment.

Before he knew it, before he could give into the voice that would stop himself, he was back by her bed. The thought of her waking up here, alone, unaware of what exactly had happened to her, bothered him. So he'd stay. Just another few minutes.

And before he could stop himself, he reached out and gently traced her uninjured cheek with his fingertips.


	7. This Can't Be Heaven

**Disclaimer: **I don't own characters.

**Warning:** Mild language

**AN: **Thanks so much for the reviews! And for just reading this! I used some quotes from the show here, I'm sure there are more and probably better ones that I could have used, but oh well! I'm expecting this story to go about three more chapters. But then, sometimes I don't do what I expect, so I guess you never know!

**Reawakening **

Chapter 6 – This Can't Be Heaven

_Jackie stood in a dark and cold, narrow hallway. She looked around herself in disgust; it smelled musty, dirty, and everything was black. The walls, the floor, the benches that lined the walls. Only a few small lanterns mounted on the walls lit the hall, but even so, she could see that it stretched out for seemingly forever in both directions. "This can't be heaven," she muttered, making a face. Heaven would never look so dreary. Heaven would be full of rainbows and unicorns, pretty things just like her. And Donny Osmond would be serenading her. Here, there wasn't even anything pink. _

_She shivered. Where in the hell was she? And what was she doing here? _

_**Wow, you look beautiful. **_

_She whirled around and peered down the hallway. Was that Steven? Had she really heard Steven's voice? Her heart raced, and to her amazement, a small circle of glowing pink began to open in the blackness. _

_**What are you doing man? Come on, cheerleader, dirtbag…**_

_The pink circle grew bigger, and she smiled. Maybe that's where heaven was. She began walking towards it. _

_**Jackie, get your car. We're going on a freaking date! **_

_"I'm coming," she called excitedly. She began to run, and the circle continued to grow larger. _

_**You're really cute, so no one ever told you to shut your piehole…I sicken me because you're supposed to sicken me but you don't…Look, all I'm saying is if you're gonna be my girlfriend, you can't go running around shooting off your big, fat cheerleader mouth…I thought it might cheer you up…It's my favorite one. Look, you're with me now so I want you to have it…I am liking you more and more… **_

_She started laughing joyously. Obviously Steven was waiting for her. And when she got to him, they'd be together and everything would be okay. He'd realize that she was all he'd ever desired, and that they had a future together. _

_**Jackie. I love you.**_

_"I love you too, Steven!" she called. Her entire body felt energized and warm, and the pink light seemed even more brilliant and beautiful. She was almost there; she could sense the light reaching out to welcome her, and she ran as fast as she could. _

_But just as she was about to step into the beautiful glow, a strong force from behind her began tugging her backwards, away from the light that promised her every dream. "NO!" she screamed, struggling and squirming her body against her unseen captor. _

_It didn't help. She was turned around and pushed towards an increasingly dark blackness. _

_**Look man, you and I, don't have anything in common. You're like, a square you know. A cheerleader. So just roller-disco on out of here…Get this through your little easy bake oven head. I don't love you. I don't like you. I can barely stand to look at you. Okay? **_

_It was his voice, but this time brutal and harsh, and getting louder with each horrible word. Jackie closed her eyes and tried with all of her might to stop moving, but she couldn't. She tried to block out the sounds, but the words wrapped around her and forced her brain to listen. Her mouth opened to scream, but her voice was gone. Dead. _

_**Don't worry. I'm over it. In fact, I'm over you…This is my date. You didn't think I was gonna wait around for you all summer, did you…Forget it, Jackie. Maybe you're just not my type. **_

_Her head shook back and forth. "No," she mouthed soundlessly. "No!" _

_An abrupt push, violent and rough, and suddenly she was falling. _

_Steven's voice mocked her as she fell into a pit of black. _

_**Why can't you just be happy with what we've got…Jackie, I don't know…I don't know…Okay. Well, I guess you've always got Kelso to fall back on. Or Fez…Leaving so soon? I'm disappointed…I don't want YOUR company, Jackie…Well, the thing is, I never loved you. **_

_**I never loved you. **_

_**I NEVER LOVED YOU! **_

_Her head kept rolling back and forth as she continued the free fall. "No...no…no…." _

"Jackie."

_"No…no…." Something clutched at her hand, but as much as she tried, she couldn't shake it off. Her body was drained and cold and useless. _

"Jackie?" Hyde stood next to her bed and stared down at her. Her head was moving back and forth on her pillow, and her whimpering was becoming faster and slightly louder. He could see her eyes moving underneath her closed lids. He held her hand gently. "Jackie…"

He'd thought he wanted to stay with her until she woke up, so she wouldn't wake up alone and scared. But now, as he watched her eyelids begin to flicker, threatening to open, he panicked. His face was the last she'd want to see when she woke up. And it might even hurt her somehow if she got upset immediately after waking up. At least that's what he told himself.

He dropped her hand and walked towards the door. She'd never miss him because she'd never know he was here. He could leave and pretend that he hadn't stayed in her room all night, hiding in the bathroom when nurses came to check on her. And since she'd never know, she could never read more into it than there was.

Hyde closed the door softly behind him and was startled to find Donna and Eric standing across the hall. And from the looks on their faces, they were just as shocked to find him coming out of Jackie's room.

Donna stared at him. He looked exhausted and was in the same clothes he'd worn yesterday. "Have you…have you been here all night, Hyde?"

He stared impassively at her. "No, of course not," he lied. His face felt hot. Damn, he had to get out of her before he actually turned red. Turning red was just not cool, not Zen, and at the moment, he was too tired to be in control. "I was just in the neighborhood."

Donna looked at Eric, who was in turn looking curiously at Hyde. "O….kay," she answered.

Hyde rolled his eyes. "I think she's waking up, so…"

Donna arched an eyebrow. "Don't you want to be with her when she wakes up?"

He glared at her. "Get bent."

Donna watched him turn and stalk off. She shook her head. "Well, what do you know? He was here all night. In Jackie's room." She looked at Eric. "First the crying, now this. I'm beginning to think he cares."

Eric gazed at Hyde's retreating form. "You'd be surprised, Donna," he answered with a slight shake of his head. "You'd be surprised."

Donna arched an eyebrow at her boyfriend. "What do you know?"

Eric's eyes widened. "What? No! I don't know anything!"

Donna grabbed the collar of his shirt. "Eric, what…do…you….know?"

Eric coughed slightly as she twisted the shirt, and he pulled her hands away from his neck. "Okay, okay, I'll tell you. But you can't tell anyone."

She grinned and let go of his shirt. "Deal."

_Forty minutes later_

Donna smiled down at Jackie. She looked worn out and beat up, but alive, and Donna was startled by how grateful she was for that. "You look…good."

Jackie rolled her eyes. "If I look so good, then why won't you get me a mirror?" She reached up to smooth her hand over the top of her head and groaned. "God, my hair hasn't even been brushed! It's all ratty!"

Donna chuckled. "Jackie, you're in the hospital. No one expects you to look good."

Jackie frowned. "**I** expect me to look good!"

"Same old Jackie," Eric said from the opposite side of Jackie's bed. He put his hand on top of hers. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but it's good to know that the accident hasn't affected your attitude."

Jackie turned and smiled up at him. "Thanks for the flowers," she said softly.

He smiled and squeezed her hand. "I'm really glad you're okay, Jackie." He glanced at Donna. "I uh…I think I'm going to go see if Hyde is still…"

Jackie's heart skipped a beat. "Steven's here?"

Eric and Donna stared at one another for a long moment. "Uh…I'll be back later." He patted Jackie's hand and then left.

Jackie looked at Donna. "Donna…Steven's here?"

Donna nodded. "Yeah." She really should lie and make it seem like Hyde didn't care; after all, Hyde was the one who had hurt Jackie so much she had to go driving in the worst rainstorm Point Place had had in twenty years. But then again, he'd cried. And he'd stayed in Jackie's room all night. "He's really upset about this, Jackie."

For a few seconds, Jackie felt happiness and excitement, and she smiled slightly. "Really?" Steven was upset? That meant he cared. That meant he hadn't meant….And then she remembered what had driven her out into the rain in the first place. Those horrible words. Her expression cooled. "Good. He should be."

"Do you want to see him? Maybe talk?"

Jackie shook her head, even though a huge part of her did want to see him. She was scared; she was hurting, physically and emotionally, and Steven had always made her feel safe. Like when her father had been arrested and her mother was gone, how he'd insisted she sleep in his room at the Forman's instead of alone in her big, empty house. But that was a long time ago, in the past. Over. She swallowed back tears. "No. I just…I just want to know he's miserable."

Donna heard the catch in Jackie's voice, and she knew that Jackie was lying. She'd rather know that Hyde cared than that he was miserable, although she'd probably equate one with the other. Probably with good reason. Jackie rolled her head away from Donna, and Donna decided to change the subject. "Well, hey," she started. "You must be in heaven. People bringing you flowers, food, stuffed animals, doing your every bidding."

Jackie turned back to Donna and found her friend grinning at her. She smiled, too. "Donna, this can't be heaven. I mean, look at the wallpaper! Sea green and yellow? Huh uh! Not even heaven could pull that off!" She started to giggle, but a sharp, biting pain shot through her right temple and lodged there, cooling into a painful ache. She winced and rubbed her fingers on the spot.

Donna frowned. "Jackie, you okay?" she asked worriedly. "Should I get the doctor?"

Jackie shook her head, her eyes closed. "No, I just…" She was exhausted, and having her eyes closed felt so good. "Maybe I should just sleep for awhile."

Donna nodded and gently rubbed her best friend's hand. "Okay. I'll be back later." She got no response; obviously Jackie was half asleep already, and so she turned and left the room quietly. As she closed the door behind her, she noticed Hyde standing across the hall, now in new clothes. He must have gone home and changed and come right back here. She smiled.

"Is she asleep?" he asked.

Donna rolled her eyes. "Are you only going to visit her when she's asleep?" He looked away, and she shook her head. "I think that's stupid, Hyde. The least you could do is apologize to her while she she's conscious."

Hyde stared at Donna. Damn Forman. He was such a girl. "Forman told you," he bit off.

Donna nodded and stepped towards her friend. Yeah, he was suffering, but not more than Jackie. "Look, the least you can do is tell her you're sorry. Even if you really meant what you said, which I don't think you really did." She raised her eyebrows. "Unless, of course, you just don't give a damn." With that said, she turned and walked away.

Hyde shook his head and stared at the floor. She was probably right. It was stupid to avoid Jackie, and eventually he'd have to see her when she was awake. He looked at he closed door and walked over to it. Through the window he could see Jackie. Her eyes were closed, and it looked as if she was sleeping, but maybe she was just resting her eyes. He took a deep breath. Maybe she'd wake up if he went in there. And if she didn't, that was fine too. He could put off the inevitable apology that he had to, even wanted to make.

Damn it, why was it so hard? Why did he feel so…out of control and uncertain?

He should just turn around and split. This wasn't worth it. He should go get drunk or stoned….anything to numb himself. He didn't like feeling, and it seemed like that was all he was doing lately.

Instead, he reached out and opened the door to Jackie's room.


	8. For Once In Your Life

**Disclaimer: **Don't own!

**AN: **This one is a bit short, but I decided I wanted to split it from the chapter that will come after this one. Thanks for reading, thanks for the reviews! I hope you're enjoying it. Hyde will get with it one of these days, I swear. :)

**Reawakening **

Chapter 7 – For Once in Your Life

Jackie heard the door open, but kept her eyes closed. It was probably just another doctor or nurse checking up on her. She hoped that whoever it was would just leave her alone; she wanted to sleep. She didn't understand why she was so worn out, considering she'd been sleeping for hours upon hours.

Her visitor walked around her bed, and she rolled her head in the opposite direction. Hopefully that would be enough of a clue. Unfortunately, she was now resting her bruised cheek on the pillow, and it hurt. She squeezed her eyes closed tighter and told herself to just bear it. But when her hand was lifted, and a strong, larger one wrapped around it, her eyes popped open. She knew that touch. She knew _his _touch. His index finger began to gently caress her knuckles, and shivers raced up and down her spine.

"Jackie?"

Tears filled her eyes. His voice was low and soft, as gentle as Steven ever sounded.

"You awake?"

Her heart jumped. When she'd spent the nights with him after her father went to pri…Nativeland, that is, he used to whisper that to wake her up. It reminded her of how he used to kiss her goodnight, then hold her close all night long. Before she could stop herself, she rolled her head back to her right and opened her eyes. She couldn't open her left eye completely because of how sore it was, and so when she looked up, Steven looked rather blurry.

Hyde tried to smile. "Hey," he said. Her eyes looked glassy, and with daylight flooding the room her bruising and cuts looked even worse. But even so, she was beautiful. She stared at him with an expression he couldn't read, and he shifted on his feet uncomfortably. "Uh…how…how you doing?"

_Well, the thing is, I never loved you. __I never loved you. I NEVER LOVED YOU. _

Jackie frowned. Why was he saying that again? As if once wasn't enough for her to hear it? Or was he actually saying it? Was he saying something else? Her head felt so foggy and heavy, and that pain in her temple was getting worse; she wasn't sure of what was going on, of what he was saying, or even why he was here. "No," she mumbled. A tear rolled out of her eye and she winced. Gone were the memories of those nights together, and in their place, that last conversation. With him telling her that he never loved her. That those nights, and everything else they'd shared, meant nothing at all.

The pain in her head was suddenly nothing compared to the hurt smothering her heart.

Hyde pressed his hand into hers when he noticed her tears. "Jackie…"

She opened her eyes, still a bit dazed, and did her best to glare at him. "Get out."

He swallowed hard. "Look, Jackie, I just…"

"Get out!" She summoned all the energy she could, which wasn't much, and pulled her hand away from his. Her eyes began to shed tears, and she shook her head. "Just get out." She closed her eyes and turned her head away from him.

_I never loved you. I never loved you. _

Hyde stared at the back of her head. He should have known better. Hell, he HAD known better! And he'd come in here anyway. Stupid. He was always doing stupid things because of her. Because she made him stupid. Anger burned in his belly, and he shook his head. "Whatever," he muttered.

Yet he hesitated to leave. Part of him wanted her to turn around so he could say the right thing, so this entire mess could be over. Part of him prayed for her to turn around.

But he wasn't that guy, the one who said the right thing at the right time, and she wasn't turning around.

He tensed his jaw and walked out of the room. He found Donna and Eric sitting on the bench across from Jackie's room. They looked expectantly at him, and he shrugged. "She uh…doesn't want to see me."

Donna stood up. "Let me talk to her."

Hyde shook his head. "Don't bother." He turned and began to stalk off.

Donna rolled her eyes. "So you're just going to walk away? Because she didn't fall all over you? Can you BLAME her?"

Hyde turned and glared at her. "Shut the hell up, okay? I didn't ask for your advice!"

Eric stood up and took Donna's arm. "Donna, maybe you should just…"

She shook him off, still staring at Hyde. "No, no, I'm going to talk." She pointed a finger at Hyde. "God, for once in your life don't just shrug and say 'whatever' like you always do when things go wrong with Jackie. Why don't you FIGHT for her for once? Maybe that's what she's needed from you all along. Maybe then she wouldn't doubt that you care about her." She smirked. "Or maybe you're just too much of a coward."

Hyde didn't move, and his eyes remained fixated on the flushed Donna. His gut was screaming at him to get the hell out of Dodge, to leave all of this crap far behind him. Fight for Jackie? Why bother? It would only end up going wrong. It always did. And even if he didn't screw it up, she'd go wacky and give him ultimatums…

"You know, she really loved you. Even after that skanky nurse, she loved you. Even after you told her you didn't know if you had a future with her, she loved you. Even after…"

"Damn it, Donna, stop it!" he interrupted angrily. "I know all that!"

She arched an eyebrow and crossed her arms across her chest. "So what are you going to do about it? Nothing?" She waited a moment, then chuckled. "That's what I thought. You're a coward. Scared of a 95 pound girl in a hospital bed."

Hyde closed his eyes. Scared? Of Jackie

_Yes._

Of course he was scared of Jackie. He was petrified of Jackie. She got to him. She REALLY got to him. He had absolutely no idea of how she did it, the cheerleader, unicorn adoring, Donny Osmond and ABBA loving, shopaholic girl she was. But she had. He'd done something he'd never wanted to do; he'd fallen in love.

And truth be told, he still loved her now, today, here.

"Fine," he spat, and stomped over to the bench and sat down. He crossed his arms over his chest and avoided Donna's smug smile.

"Good," she said, pleased with herself. "I'll go talk to her."

Hyde rolled his eyes, but the tension in his stomach relieved into something that felt suspiciously like hope. "You do that."

Of course, just because Donna was going to talk to Jackie didn't mean Jackie would listen.

He closed his eyes, hoping that Forman would just sit quietly next to him and not talk. And for once, Eric did exactly what he wanted.


	9. Only If He Grovels

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything.

**Warning: **Mild language

**AN: **Another short chapter...I was orginally going to combine this with the next part, but it's getting too long, so I'm just splitting it up. Thanks so much for reading...and the reviews are great:) I really appreciate your feedback. Anyway, two chapters left...I'm hoping to have it finished by the end of the week.

**Reawakening **

Chapter 8 – Only If He Grovels

Her door opened again, and Jackie groaned. Why couldn't people just leave her alone? She was tired, cranky, she looked horrible, she didn't feel well, and now thanks to Steven she was in emotional disarray. Wasn't it a sin to upset an injured person, especially one as pretty as her? If it wasn't, it sure as hell should be.

"Hey Jackie, it's just me." Donna walked to the right side of Jackie's bed and smiled down at her friend.

Jackie looked up wearily. "Donna, I'm really tired and not feeling well…"

"I know, but I need to talk to you about Hyde." She shrugged. "I'll be quick."

Jackie groaned and closed her eyes, trying not to see Steven's face, the slight smile he'd given her that always managed to make her stomach feel as if she was careening down a roller coaster hill. "I don't want to talk about Steven."

Donna understood, and she felt a bit guilty about pushing Jackie when she was this exhausted and a captive audience. Then again, this might make her happy. Maybe. Possibly. Hopefully. "I know, but Jackie, he cried. Hyde actually cried." She shook her head, still amazed at what she'd seen. "And I'm not talking pretend crying."

That startled Jackie, and her eyes widened slightly. "What?"

"He cried. See, Mrs. Forman told us about your accident, and we all came to the hospital. Except Hyde. But then he…"

"Wait a second," Jackie exclaimed with as much energy as she could muster. Her eyes opened wider, and her left eye hurt badly because of it, but she didn't care. "Steven didn't come to the hospital after he heard about my accident?" The ache in her heart tripled. "He didn't even care?" Tears stung her eyes and she turned her head away. "Figures. What a jerk…god, I can't believe that I…" Her voice choked off.

Donna grabbed Jackie's hand. "Wait, Jackie. Just listen. I mean, that's what I thought too, at first. But then a couple hours later he showed up. He took his sunglasses off and I noticed…Jackie, his eyes were all swollen and red."

Jackie rolled her head back towards Donna. "Really?" she whispered. Donna nodded, and Jackie began to smile. But then she forced it and the small hint of pleasure she felt away. "He'd probably just been hitting it and the smoke irritated his eyes."

"No, Jackie." She sighed. "He was crying. He was upset." She smiled. "He was scared that he might lose you."

Jackie began to tear up. "Then why didn't he come to the hospital right away?"

"You know Hyde. He doesn't like people to think he has feelings."

Jackie nodded. "That's true," she replied weakly, unable to stop her tears. She wasn't sure what to think. Could it be real? Could Steven REALLY have cried…CRIED over her?

Donna rubbed Jackie's hand. "Think about it. He didn't cry when his mother left the last time. He didn't cry when Sam left. Or when his divorce papers came." She winced at the hurt on Jackie's face and hurried to continue. "But he cried over YOU."

Jackie rubbed her temple that was throbbing again, and she stared at the ceiling. It was so confusing; she had no idea what to think, what to feel, what to do. She wanted to believe that Steven cried, that he'd been petrified of losing her…but how could she? How COULD she after what he'd said to her?

"He wants to talk to you, Jackie. He wants to apologize for saying that he…for what he said to you."

Jackie looked up at Donna, puzzled. She didn't remember telling Donna about that. "Wait…how do you know what he said?"

Donna shrugged. "He told Eric. Eric told me. You know, he's always had a big mouth." She rolled her eyes. "Remember when he told you what Eric said about the man ring I bought him?"

Jackie couldn't help but smile. Yeah, he'd yelled at her for having a big mouth, but _he_ was the one who told her to begin with. And even then he'd known she couldn't keep a secret. So it had really been _his _fault. "So…" Her smile faded. "You think he wants to apologize?" Her eyes narrowed with bitter anger. "He should. I mean, god! Even if he meant it, he shouldn't have said it!" She closed her eyes tight to keep her tears in.

"He didn't, Jackie."

Donna sounded so certain, but Jackie wasn't so certain. Her eyes opened and she stared at the ceiling. She hated that she was praying with every fiber of her being that Donna was right; she hated feeling this vulnerable to Steven. She'd tried so hard to steel herself to him. And just like always, her steel was threatening to crumble because of him.

Donna noticed her hesitation. "Come on, Jackie. Look at it this way. You can really make him grovel. And I think this time he'll actually do it." Jackie's expression remained conflicted, and Donna sighed. "Jackie, he stayed all night with you."

"He did?" Jackie stared at Donna, her eyes dampening again. Steven had stayed all night with her? Here? "In my room? While I was sleeping?"

Donna smiled. "Yep."

Jackie rubbed her still throbbing temple and tried to breathe. It was all just so…so much; she was completely overwhelmed. "Okay," she found herself saying, almost from outside herself. "I'll talk to him. But only if he grovels."

Donna grinned and squeezed Jackie's hand. "Okay. I'll go get him." She let go and walked out of the room. She looked at Hyde, who sat on the bench with his arms crossed over his chest. "She'll talk to you now," she said slightly triumphantly. She raised an eyebrow. "But she wants you to grovel." Hyde rolled his eyes, and Donna glared at him. "Grovel, Hyde!"

Hyde stood up and slowly moved towards Jackie's door. Grovel? Groveling was sure as hell not his style. Even if she had every right to expect him to.

"Hyde."

Just as he reached for the doorknob, Eric spoke, and Hyde turned around. "What?"

Eric raised an eyebrow. "Grovel."

Hyde shook his head and turned back to the door. He took a shallow breath and opened it, walking in before he could change his mind.


	10. You Always Get To Me

**Disclaimer: **Don't own anything.

**Warning: **Mild language

**AN: **This is a bit long...just couldn't stop! It may slip out of character...but I really tried:) Thanks for the reviews and for reading...And just one more chapter:)

**Reawakening **

Chapter 9 – You Always Get to Me

As Hyde walked to Jackie's bed, he couldn't help but smile. She had her covers pulled up over the bruised side of her face. "Jackie, what are you doing?" He shook his head and pulled the covers off of her. She glared up at him. "I've already seen you." She didn't say anything, just stared at him, partially angry, partially hurt, and his slight grin faltered. "So, uh…how are you feeling?"

Jackie cleared her throat and tried to find her steel. "You know, the least you could have done was bring me flowers." It was petty, sure, especially since he had cried and stayed with her all night, but still. She had to be trite and superficial. Her defense mechanism. She'd perfected it. "Even ERIC brought me flowers, and he hates me." She rolled her eyes, but it didn't stop the tears from returning. "Oh but wait. You don't hate me, you just never loved me." She turned her head away from him and looked up at the ceiling. She practically had it memorized by now.

He sighed and reached for her hand. She pulled it away, but he quickly caught it and held it a little tighter than he probably should. "Look, Jackie, I…" He swallowed hard. Apologizing was so damn tough! "I'm sorry I said that, okay?"

She didn't look at him. "Fine. You've apologized, now you can leave and forget all about it. All about me. I'm going to be fine and I don't need you to feel guilty."

Hyde rolled his eyes. "You know, it's really not my fault that you can't drive."

She whipped her head towards him and glared hatefully at him. "Get out!" She tugged her hand away from him and started to roll over onto her left side, but the pain to her bruised face was too great. To her disgust, she just lay on her back and began to sob.

He stared at her until her tears became too much for him to handle, then turned away and walked to the window. He gazed outside. It was a bright day, a beautiful, mid-summer day. But he felt as cold as New England battered by a nor'easter. He'd managed to control his guilt's appetite, at least for awhile, but now it was back and feasting voraciously on him. "Look, I know it's my fault," he said quietly, but loud enough for her to hear him. "And god…I'm sorry…but I just…I don't know what to say to you." He took his sunglasses off, took a deep but unsatisfying breath and turned around to face her. "I NEVER know what to say." His eyes blinked slowly. "You know that."

Jackie sniffed and gently brushed away a few tears from her lower lashes. She stared back at Steven. For the first time since he'd come into her room, she noticed the look on his face. Of course, it helped that he had taken his sunglasses off and hooked them on his collar. His expression was regretful and almost scared, like the way he'd looked when he'd told her about that skanky nurse he'd cheated on her with. Part of her wanted to comfort him; he so rarely showed any honest emotion, and when he did it always made her crazy with the need to take care of him.

_But he doesn't love you. He wouldn't comfort you if you were vulnerable. He just feels guilty; it's not like he was REALLY scared to lose you. After all, he NEVER loved you. _

More tears rushed out of her eyes. "Just tell me that you didn't mean it!" she cried, her heart starting to race. Her head was pounding with pain, but it didn't matter at this point. She felt destroyed. "Even if you have to lie…just pretend that you didn't mean it!"

He would never do it. He never had before. Like that time when she'd begged him to lie to her and tell her he didn't think Brooke was hot. Just to reassure her. Just so she could feel as if she were the only girl in the world he thought was hot. But he wouldn't. And if he wouldn't lie about something like THAT, he wouldn't about something like THIS.

Hyde looked down at the floor. Damn, he'd hurt her worse that he thought. Most people would say that this was just about Jackie's vanity, but he knew better. He knew HER better, as odd as he still found that to be. This was deeper…she had genuinely believed that he'd loved her, even though he hadn't exactly expressed it often, and he'd taken that away from her. He wanted to run, or say something smart ass, but he didn't. He owed her more than that. He owed her the truth. And as uncomfortable as it made him feel, as if he was just about to sit on the electric chair, he just had to do it. Yeah, it went against everything he believed in, but she'd…she'd almost died.

He went over to her and carefully sat down on the side of her bed. Her hands rested together on her stomach, and he covered them both with one of his. Hers were so little, but they felt so good in his. He'd never told her, never told anyone, but he loved holding her hand. Second only to kissing her. Of course, kissing her came in second to sex with her, so holding hands was really his third favorite thing to do with her. He shook his head. Now was definitely not the time to be thinking about that stuff. "Jackie," he said. His stomach tightened. This was stupid. So stupid. Almost Forman like. But he had to. God, she'd almost died! "I don't have to lie or pretend."

She looked up at him, and his heart turned upside down. Those damn eyes of hers. He was tempted to wipe away some of those tears, but that would be lame. Utterly Forman, and he wasn't Forman. "I…I didn't mean it, okay? I really…I didn't mean it."

Jackie smiled slightly, and for once she couldn't think of anything to say. He was being honest with her, she knew it, and it blew her away.

Hyde raised an eyebrow. "Nothing to say?" Jackie was never this quiet. Not even when she slept. She talked even in her sleep. He'd always found it amusing…especially when her dreams were sexy.

She released a small, soft giggle. "I know it's shocking." She wiped away more tears and again looked up at the ceiling. She wasn't sure she could deal with this. She'd wanted him to tell her that very thing, and yet, it was too much. Her mind couldn't wrap around it.

He sighed. "I…I'm sorry, Jackie." His voice was low. "And…" He rubbed the top of her hands. "I'm really glad you're okay."

Her head rolled towards him, and she smiled softly. "Thank you, Steven."

He shrugged with a half smile. "Sure."

For a long moment, the two stared at one another, directly into one another's eyes, not backing away, not hiding, until a shadow of confusion and curiosity crossed Jackie's face. "Steven, if you didn't mean it, why did you say it?" she asked, instantly regretting it. She wasn't sure if she really wanted to know, but the thought had taken hold of her voice before she could stop it.

He sighed and took his hand off of hers. This was a dangerous conversation. He could very well end up saying things that hurt her, or leading them down the same old primrose path again. And that path always ended up in hell. "Jackie, we really shouldn't…"

"No, I want to know, Steven," she interrupted stubbornly.

He hesitated, but her eyes bored into him like a knife to flesh, and he rolled his. "Fine. I just…" He lifted his shoulders. "I had to stop you. You kept bringing up the past…it was the only way I could think of to get you to…stop."

She stared at him, her heart clenching. "Oh, that's right. Because you want to forget." Her voice caught, and she shook her head angrily at herself. "You meant THAT part."

He sighed in exasperation. "Jackie…"

"No, you know what? I'm not even mad at you for that. No, I'm mad at myself." Those damn tears were back, and she turned her head to the left, hurting her cheek. She stared at the corner of the room. "I promised myself that I was done making an ass of myself over guy, and what did I do? That very thing!"

"Old habits die hard."

Jackie flipped her head back and glared at him.

He shrugged. Stupid, stupid thing to say, but he hadn't been able to stop himself. That always seemed to happen. "Look, you weren't an ass, okay? I was." She stared at him expectantly, and he looked away. She wanted him to say more, obviously. "God, okay, Jackie. Look…." He shook his head. "You were getting to me, okay? Just like you always get to me. And I had to make you stop, because...Jackie, it never works with us." He swallowed hard. "We'd just end up…screwing it up and hating one another…like always."

That last part stung, but Jackie ignored it. _Just like you always get to me? _Had he really said that? She couldn't help but smile. "I get to you?" Her heart was shivering now, and goosebumps broke out on her arms. "Really?"

Hyde's lips curved upwards. Leave it to Jackie to pick out and grab the words that pleased her and ignore the rest. "I'm not saying it again," he replied, but lightly. She knew he meant it. She always knew.

Jackie beamed at him. Hardly a declaration of love, but it was probably the closest thing she'd ever get, knowing him. And although he said it never worked…he said she always got to him. If she always got to him, then she would in the future, and she'd be able to convince him to...

Her smile faded, and her initial giddiness disappeared as well. _Jackie, it never works with us._ Maybe he was right. After all, they'd broken up several times…always manage to find trouble to have…never managed to make it last for good. Maybe they were better off if it just ended for good.

Hyde frowned as her eyes filled again. "Jackie?"

"Just…I just want…" She stuttered. Why was this so hard to ask? "I won't try to…_get _to you anymore…"

"Jackie…"

"No…I won't…IF you tell me one thing." She arched an eyebrow knowingly.

Hyde crossed his arms in front of his chest. Blackmail. Huh. She was good. Reminding him of how they first became "official" even when saying she wasn't going to try to get to him. God, she was good. He smirked, oddly proud of her. "And what one thing is that?"

She took a deep breath. Her ribs hurt, but she'd live. "Just that…since you didn't mean what you said…that means that at some point…a long time ago, I mean, of course…you…you DID love me?"

Hyde hesitated. He hated this kind of stuff. He hated having to be honest. He'd rather just ignore it all. His eyes grazed over her bruised, battered face, and his stomach turned. That was what trying to ignore everything and pretend it had never existed had done. He swallowed hard. "Yeah," he said softly. "I did."

Jackie smiled, but it was bittersweet. Sure, it was nice to know that he HAD loved her. It was just too bad that her heart ached for him to STILL love her. "Thank you," she whispered, just before turning her head straight on the pillow and again staring up at the ceiling.

Something stupid, that same feeling in his chest that made him take Jackie back after that whole "get off my boyfriend" fiasco, took over, and Hyde put his hand on top of hers again. "Jackie, look at me." She did, and he sighed. He stared into her eyes. Hell. He was going down, and for some reason, couldn't seem to stop himself. "I…I still do."

She turned her head to him like a sunflower turning towards the sun, and felt dizzy, even though she was lying down. Her heart stopped beating entirely, and she couldn't breathe. The way he was looking at her, exactly the way he'd looked at her after he'd shaved his beard off, that soft, gentle, slight smile…she couldn't breathe. Her mouth opened, she wanted desperately to tell him that she loved him still too...but then a sharp and intense pain shot through her temple, and this time, it wasn't fading. She winced and whimpered, lifting her right hand to her temple and rubbing.

Hyde frowned. "Jackie, are you okay?" He put his hand on her stomach. "Should I…should I get a doctor?"

She shook her head and opened her eyes, doing her best to smile. "No, its okay, just a headache," she explained weakly. The pain began to cloud, and she exhaled slowly. "The doctor said I'll have them for awhile."

He reached out and began lightly stroking the silky hair just above where her fingers were pressed on her temple. "Bad?"

She nodded and closed her eyes. "Bad."

Hyde pushed her fingers away from her temple and leaned down to her. He pressed his lips softly to her and let them linger there for a long moment. He closed his eyes and savored the closeness of her, the essence of her. Damn, even in the hospital, after surgery, she still smelled so good!

She shivered and prayed that he would just stay there forever. The feel of his lips, soft but strong, sweet but so masculine, sent fireworks dancing through all of her. And she even forgot that she was in pain.

"Better?" he said huskily after reluctantly pulling back. His face hovered about six inches above hers. He didn't want to retreat further. And god…he wanted to kiss her.

Her eyes languidly opened, and her spine prickled when his breath softly winded down over her lips. He was so close to her….was he going to…

"Better," she breathed. She stared at him and her lips parted slightly. His eyes were so intense, and her entire body tensed with anticipation.

Hyde watched her tongue dart out to moisten her lips, and that temptation was too much. He leaned back down to her, this time aiming for her lips.

Everything else be damned.

The door opened, and Hyde jumped back, off the bed, his heart pounding furiously.

Jackie groaned silently. Damn nurse!

"Time for your medicine, Jackie," the nurse said. "And then you need to sleep. You've had too many visitors." She glared at Hyde.

He rolled his eyes and took a step closer to Jackie. He took her hand. "Guess I should go, "he said. He should feel relieved. He'd just dodged a bullet. Kissing Jackie would have been a huge mistake. He should be glad that nurse walked in when she had.

But he was pissed.

Jackie nodded. "Guess so." She pursed her lips. "Will you come back later?"

"If you want me to," he answered.

She smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I do."

He raised an eyebrow. "I'm not bringing you flowers."

She pouted. "Jerk."

Hyde chuckled. "Get some rest." He leaned forward and brushed his lips over her forehead. "I'll be back later."

Jackie smiled. She was suddenly sleepy. "Okay." He tweaked her chin with his fingers, and she giggled.

Maybe almost dying in a car accident wasn't so bad after all!


	11. It Might Not Matter

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing!

**Warning: **Mild language

**AN: **Okay, I lied. This isn't the last chapter...I'll have an epilogue to post tomorrow, I hope. It was going to be one chapter, but it just got way too long, so I'm splitting them up. I really can't say how much I appreciate everyone reading this! And thanks so much, as always, for the reviews. I love "hearing" what you think. I am thinking about doing a sequel to this...but am not sure yet! So stay tuned for theepilogue!

**Reawakening **

Chapter 10 – It Might Not Matter

_One week later_

Jackie hummed along with the radio, her head resting comfortably on Steven's shoulder as the El Camino prowled the streets of Point Place. She was happy. She was finally out of the hospital, her ribs weren't hurting quite as much, although she still had nasty headaches, and she'd just dragged Steven to a sappy movie. She'd guilt tripped him into it by telling him that she'd been planning on going to see it on the night of her accident. And it had worked, albeit with a lot of grumbling on his part. She'd managed to drown that out, though.

They'd decided to take things slow and see what happened. In fact, this wasn't really a date. They were just hanging out. Of course, that hadn't stopped him from holding her hand in the movie. And it sure wasn't stopping her from sitting close to him in the car and drawing circles on his thigh. She giggled. Friends, right. She didn't expect it to last long, but it was kind of fun with all the flirting. She almost wished it would last for a month or so…but then again, she really didn't. And she didn't think he really did, either. Especially considering the red roses he'd brought her in the hospital. Even after saying he wouldn't. She giggled again. Sucker.

Hyde glanced down at her head. "What are you giggling about?"

She didn't lift her head. "Oh, just how beautiful those roses you gave me look on my nightstand, that's all."

He rolled his eyes. He should have known better than to give her those damned flowers. Sure, the look on her face had been nice to see. But now he was going to pay for the rest of his life. "Okay, just remember, that was a one time thing," he said.

"Yeah, that's what you said about the Sizzler, too, and where did we go last night?" Jackie sat up and beamed triumphantly at him. "The Sizzler!"

He grinned. "Because you paid."

She rolled her eyes playfully. "The things I do for you!" She rubbed his thigh. "I hope you enjoyed it, because that's the last time it'll be my treat!"

He shrugged. "And it's the last time I'll buy you flowers. So we're even."

Jackie turned and stared at him. "Jerk!" She couldn't help but giggle.

He smirked. "Yep."

She shook her hair off her shoulders and smirked right back at him. "Until my next car accident."

"Oh, you're never driving again."

She squealed and squeezed his thigh. "So you're going to be my own personal chauffer?"

Hyde pulled into his normal parking spot at the Forman house and groaned. "Oh, god!" He parked the car and looked pointedly at her. "Get THAT thought out of your pretty little head!"

She just smirked and opened the car door. "So you think I have a pretty little head, huh?" She got out, shut the door and pranced around to the driver's side. Before he could walk away, she stood in front of him, placing her hands on his chest flirtatiously. "You're such a sweet talker, Steven."

He shook his head, staring at her and wishing to God that she wasn't so damn hot. He could really get into kissing her right about now. "Shut it, Jackie." But his lips curved upwards. Her eyes were sparkling like they used to; he hadn't seen that a whole lot in the past several months.

And God help him, he'd missed it.

Jackie rubbed a circle on his chest. "You know, I'm surprised that movie didn't make you cry," she purred. "Since you've been known to cry lately."

Hyde glared at her. "Jackie, I told you. I almost poked my eyes out trying to put my glasses on and they…watered a bit." He shrugged. "I mean, I was drunk. I can't be held accountable for what I do when I'm drunk." He groaned inwardly when a shadow crossed her face and she looked away. She took her hands of his chest, and he immediately missed her touch. "Jackie…"

She shook it off, sort of, at least she hoped she appeared to shake it off, and she gave him a slightly too bright smile. "No, you cried," she said haughtily. She lifted her chin and looked up at him, straight into his sunglasses, daring him to contradict her. "Because you were so afraid of living in a world without me."

Hyde sighed. He should argue with her. He should stick to his cover story. He should be stubborn. He should be a man. Not Forman. But he faltered and shook his head in defeat. Better to let her win this one. Especially after what he'd just inadvertently reminded her of. But just this one. After this, he wasn't going to be so wussy with her anymore. "Remember when you said that Donna's mouth was as big as her feet?" He rolled his eyes. "Well, I gotta agree on that." He shook his head and looked away, muttering. "I'm going to kick her ass."

Jackie grinned and wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing herself temptingly close to him without being TOO bold. "Awww, Steven, it's nothing to be ashamed of."

"Maybe not to you." He grinned when she raised an eyebrow. "Come on."

They headed for the Forman basement, and as they did, Hyde took Jackie's hand. She flushed with pleasure. Friends. Right. Not for much longer. "You bought me popcorn at the movie," she observed.

Hyde shook his head. Jackie was so exasperating, and yet...he wouldn't have it any other way. "So you'd shut up!"

"You've been doing a lot of things for me lately. Crying, staying in my room all night….the roses…"

He squeezed her hand almost too tightly. "Well, get ready for all that to end. Because as of…" He looked at his watch. "This second, it's over."

Jackie pruned her lips into a pout and pulled her hand out of his. "You're such a jerk!"

Hyde shrugged and smirked. "You know it, baby!" He grabbed her hand again as they started down the stairs. He opened the door and they walked in, only to stop dead cold about two feet into the basement. Everyone was there; Eric and Donna on the couch, Fez next to Donna, Kelso sitting on the arm of the couch near Hyde's chair.

And on Hyde's chair, a willowy blonde sat, wearing a tube top and shorts that barely covered her hips, let alone any leg. "There you are!" she said, standing up and staring only at Hyde. "I've been waiting and waiting for you!"

Donna smiled uncomfortably at Jackie and Hyde, who wore twin masks of shock. "Surprise," she said with little enthusiasm. Eric and Fez both looked back and forth between Jackie and Hyde, while Kelso just stared at the blonde.

Jackie swallowed hard. She wasn't sure if she let go of Steven's hand or if he let go of hers, but she felt that they were no longer joined. It hurt. And she wondered what it meant…what Sam's return meant. A sharp pain knifed her temple, and she gasped. Her hand flew up to cup her forehead as it always did, although it never really eased the pain, and she became dizzy.

Hyde heard her gasp and glanced at her. "You okay?" he asked. Her headaches were coming with some frequency, and even though the doctor had said she'd have them for awhile, considering she had a pretty bad concussion, it bugged him. He felt Sam's eyes on him, but hell. Jackie had almost died, and no matter what she said, she still wasn't quite right.

Jackie looked up at him, her eyes narrow and hurt, and then she glanced back at Sam. There was only one way she could see this playing out. And she'd be the one hurt when he picked the woman he'd actually married over her. Again.

She turned and ran out of the basement.

Donna sighed and stood up. "I'll go after her."

Hyde turned his attention back to Samantha as Donna left the basement. His arms hung limply at his sides. "So, here I am," he said. "What do you want?" _And what the hell are you doing here?_ he thought. He'd been upset when she'd left and tried to convince her to stay. Not because he had any great, undying love for her, although he'd gotten used to and comfortable with her, but because he'd finally gotten fed up with people walking in, then out of his life.

When had that happened? When had he started caring if people stuck around for longer than five minutes?

_Oh yeah. After Jackie happened. _

She glanced at Fez, Kelso and Eric, then back at Hyde. "Can we go somewhere else?"

Eric stood up. on, guys. Lets go…lets go…anywhere else."

Kelso pouted. "But I wanna…."

Hyde glared at him. "Get the hell out!" The guys shuffled out, some more reluctantly than others, and when they were gone, he again looked at his ex-wife. "Okay, they're gone. So again, what do you want?"

Sam smiled sexily and slithered across the room to where he stood. She placed a possessive hand on his chest. "What do you think? I've missed you. And…I want you back."

He stood passively, staring at her. She was hot, in a stripper sort of way. And easy to be with. Good sex. Although…not as good as with Jackie. But then again, comparing Jackie with Sam was apples and oranges. Two entirely different types of relationships.

He couldn't help but think that maybe he should just go down this road. No hassles, no big emotional travails to deal with, no passion (other than simple lust) that could lead to anger and hatred. No real pain that paralyzed him and made him mope on the couch and listen to country music. COUNTRY MUSIC! Jackie could so easily put him in hell….Sam never had, and he didn't really think she ever could. It was so easy. She didn't nag. She got him beer.

And Sam didn't want or need him to live up to his "potential" the way Jackie did. She wouldn't really care WHAT he did. She didn't need him to be anything other than what he was. He could be a bum and she wouldn't care.

_He could be a bum and she wouldn't…care. _

"So, what do you say? You wanna get back together?"

Her voice was silky and seductive.

And all he could do was stare at her.

_Jackie's apartment _

Donna stared at her best friend who sat listlessly on her bed, staring down at the comforter. She was surprisingly, amazingly quiet and withdrawn, and that had Donna more worried than anything else. Even her tears were quiet; no sobs, just ribbons of water running slowly down her cheeks. "Jackie, he's not going to get back together with her."

Jackie didn't look up. "How do you know?" She felt so lethargic, and her head was pounding so intensely she wished she was just dead and gone, away from this.

"I know because I SAW how worried and scared he was when you were in surgery. Remember? He cried? He stayed in your room all night with you? And he TOLD you that he still loves you, right? That all means something, Jackie."

Jackie's eyes closed. "I don't know if it does," she mumbled.

_It didn't when he married her. Or when he stayed married to her. _

She was petrified. Just an hour ago, she and Steven were together, flirting, bickering, having fun…and she'd thought she'd seen the look in his eyes he used to get back when they'd first hooked up. But then Sam showed up….he'd dropped her hand…or had she dropped his?

And now all she could do was sit on her bed, staring down, trying not to sob her eyes out. She loved Steven, more than she'd ever dreamed possible, but it might not matter.

She shook her head. "I really love him, Donna," she confessed in a small, almost inaudible voice.

Donna smiled sadly. She was certain that Hyde wasn't going to take Sam back…sort of certain. She patted Jackie's hand. "I know you do, Jackie," she answered.

Jackie looked up. She wanted to be alone. For once. "Donna, do you mind…I just…I really want to be alone right now."

Donna stared at her. Jackie had been less talkative since her accident. Oh, she hadn't shut up entirely or even close to it, but she'd definitely been more subdued. "You…you don't want to talk about it? Or bitch about Hyde and…." She shrugged. "The whore?"

Jackie shook her head. "No."

Donna nodded and stood up. "Okay. Well, if you…just call me if you need to, okay?" She was met with another nod. "Okay. I'll see you later." She walked to the door of Jackie's bedroom, hesitated, then turned back around. "Hey, Jackie."

Jackie looked up.

"He loves you. And if he tries to pretend he doesn't, I'll kick his ass."

Jackie couldn't help but giggle. "Thanks, Donna."

Donna left, and Jackie flopped down on her back. She stared at the ceiling. She was going to lose Steven before she even really got him back. Her eyes fluttered closed, and she began to heave slow, painful sobs.

It hurt so damn much.


	12. The Sweetest Hell

**Disclaimer: **I wish I owned the characters! How fun would that be?

**Warning: **Mild language, mild...uh...physical stuff. So a little R-ish.

**AN: **Well, here it is, the end! I hope you've enjoyed it. It was a lot of fun to write! I really appreciate you reading it...anda special thanks tothose of youwho left reviews. You've all beenso sweet andprobably way too nice:) I'm notquite sure about the sequel yet...I'm leaningtowards writing it, but I might need a little break. Then again, I love to write, so I might not!Anyway,hope you enjoy this last chapter! (BTW, I made up the nickname. Sort of. Guess I half stole it...but I added to it. I always wondered whatthat nickname really was.)

**Reawakening **

Epilogue - The Sweetest Hell

_An hour and a half later _

Jackie had spent almost an hour crying, until the pain in her head made tears absolutely unbearable. Now she was sitting up on her bed, flipping through a magazine she wasn't really reading, and wondering what Steven was doing.

_He's probably having sex with that whore. She'd sleep with anyone who smiled at her, women and foreigners included. Why couldn't she have liked Fez? Fez would have done it with her! _

Her eyes closed. NO!

A light knock sounded at her door, and she opened her eyes just as it opened. Her heart skipped a beat. Steven walked in, his glasses off. He was wearing a different t-shirt than he had been earlier, this time his Ted Nugent one, her favorite. But the fact that he'd changed…she could guess what that meant. Sam had probably torn off his other one in a fit of passion. Her face heated with hurt, and she looked down at the magazine, her hands flipping through the pages furiously.

"Hey."

She swallowed hard. "Hey," she answered without looking up.

Hyde closed the door behind him and walked over to her bed. She looked as if she'd been crying, and that really bugged him. Damn, he shouldn't have taken as long as he did. Of course, if Sam hadn't poured close to an entire six pack of beer over his head, maybe he wouldn't have. He sat down on the bed close but not too close to Jackie and took the magazine out of her hands.

She looked up and glared at him. "Hey!"

He shrugged and tossed it over his shoulder. She glared at him, and he gave her a slight smile. "How's your head?"

She didn't answer, but lifted one shoulder and looked down at the bed. The truth was her head was killing her with pain that was closer to a stabbing than a headache, but she didn't need him to feel sorry for her. She unconsciously began tracing S's on the bedspread. God, she wanted to ask him, but she couldn't….no. He could tell her if he wanted to. She wasn't going to ask him. No, she wasn't. She had her pride.

But her mouth opened, and the question tumbled out. "So…what does she…what does she want?"

Hyde watched her small hand moving around, and he almost reached for it. But it was probably a bad idea at this moment. "What do you think she wants?"

Jackie instinctively lifted her head and looked at him. "She…she wants you back."

His lips formed a half smile and he nodded. "Can you really blame her?" Jackie didn't look amused, and she almost immediately dropped her gaze to the bedspread once again. He noticed her lips pursing and the tense set of her jaw. Oh yeah, she was upset. His smile faded. "Look, Jackie, I'm not getting back together with her."

Her heart seemed to expand for a brief moment before deflating again. This didn't mean anything. So he wasn't getting back with her NOW. He was probably just trying to make Sam pay for hurting him. He did that sort of thing. She knew it from firsthand experience. "Why not? I mean, she's your wife."

He sighed. "Ex wife." Jackie just stared at him, and he inched his body slightly closer to her. And he covered her hand with his. "I just…I don't want to be with her." It surprised him, considering how easy everything would be with Sam. No expectations, no real work, nothing explosive. The perfect set up for the lazy ass he was. Jackie demanded of him; Sam just accepted him.

But there was something so…lacking in mere acceptance. Not to mention that Sam's touch today had left him ice cold…something Jackie's had NEVER done, not even when he hated her.

And the fact that he couldn't stop thinking about Jackie the entire time he and Sam had talked told him that he probably shouldn't take that route. The fact that he couldn't forget how he'd felt when Jackie had been hurt…now he wondered if he'd ever be able to get past her. Or if he ever really wanted to.

"Why not?"

Her whisper was broken, teary, and he noticed that she was pinching her face in order to not cry. He took a deep breath. "Because…because of you." His voice was quiet and low.

Jackie jerked her head up and met Steven's eyes. Because of her? Pleasure began to spread in her stomach, but her pride beat it back. Because of her….that could mean anything. It could mean that he felt guilty about her accident, that he didn't think she could handle it if he did what he truly wanted. She jutted her chin out and tossed her hair over her shoulders. "You don't have to say no to her just because of me," she said, filling her voice with haughty coolness, trying to sound like she just didn't give a damn. "If you think that I can't deal with it, don't. I can." Her lips began to tremble, betraying her, and she looked away.

Hyde picked Jackie's hand up and ran his thumb over her knuckles. He watched its movement, trying to think of what to say. Damn, he was never good at saying what she needed to hear! "Jackie, it's not…I'm not doing it as a favor to you," he finally said. He looked up at her still turned face. "Hey. Look at me." She slowly met his eyes, and he could see the fear. And he understood it. After all, she'd been abandoned almost as often as he had. "I don't want to be with her because of YOU. And ME." He closed his eyes for a moment. Maybe she wouldn't understand. His lids opened again, and he stared into her beautiful eyes, one blue, one green. "Because of US."

Jackie's lips parted, and although she wanted to look away, because the weight of his eyes on hers was so overwhelming and intense, she couldn't. Her eyes locked on his. And a sweet tingling began in her toes and quickly spread upwards through her entire body. Even the pain in her head faded away. "B-but…I mean…Steven, there's not really…there's not really an…us."

Hyde shrugged, smiling a little at the hope in her voice. "But there's a chance, right?" He watched in utter amazement as Jackie's entire face suddenly brightened into sunshine. Obviously he'd found the right words, and his smile broadened.

Jackie sat up straight, that tingling now millions of fireworks rushing through her blood. "Oh my god, Steven," she breathed. "You said no to her just for the chance you could be with me?"

He nodded. "Just for the chance," he agreed quietly. And the happiness on her face, the pure bliss, the beauty of her joy made the slightly sick feeling of having to be honest and almost Forman-ly sappy worth it.

She pulled her hand away from his and leaned forward to place both her hands on his bearded cheeks. Her eyes danced over his face adoringly. "Oh, Steven," she whispered. She'd never felt so happy before, never in her life, and she wasn't sure what to say, or how to react. All she knew was that she wanted to hold Steven's cheeks and look into his eyes forever.

He blinked slowly, feeling that same languid, almost liquid feeling he always did when she touched his face this way. He rested his hands lightly on her waist. "Anything for you, doll," he replied thickly. They smiled softly at one another for a long moment, until the intimacy he felt with this girl, a former CHEERLEADER, for heaven's sake, made Hyde nervous. He cleared his throat. "Just uh…just know that this is the last thing I'm doing for you for like, ever. So don't be expecting me to shave the beard."

Jackie giggled and petted his cheeks. "Oh, I don't want you to. I'm enjoying it right now." She cocked her head. "But eventually I'll get bored with it, and you'll shave it for me because I'll find a way to force you to!"

All Hyde could do was shake his head and let his eyes continue to drink her in. He'd given up an easy life with a woman who didn't torment him for THIS? Jackie's palms flattened on his cheeks and slowly, warmly stroked his jaw bones. His eyes fell shut and he sighed. Oh yeah. Ohhhhhh HELL yeah! He'd given that up for THIS. Her giggles opened his eyes, and he grinned at her. "Shut your piehole, Jackie."

"I didn't say anything!"

"Just in case you do."

She just laughed and continued stroking his face. Her thumb grazed over his lips, and she noticed his eyelids seem to become heavy over his eyes. Her smile widened. "Steven, you really want to kiss me, don't you?" she purred.

Hyde shook his head slightly. "Jackie, if I wanted to kiss you, I'd be kissing you," he retorted. Almost against his will, his eyes lowered to her lips, her pink, soft, plush lips that held amazing sweetness and sensual power. She knew how to use those lips…boy, did she ever! Her smile grew, and he shook his head again in mock disgust. He DID want to kiss her. More than he ever had before, and that was saying a lot. Just thinking about it made his head feel as if it would explode if he didn't taste her. NOW. "Crap!"

Before she knew it, Steven's lips were on hers and softly pushing her lips open in a gentle, breathtakingly longing kiss. Her eyes fluttered closed, and her body went nearly limp because of the warmth and pleasured sensation in, under, through her very skin. His arms wrapped around her waist and drew her closer to him, and she went perfectly willingly.

As they kissed, without realizing it they shifted their bodies so Jackie was lying on her back and Hyde on top of her. The kisses were slow and damp, deep and searching, and Jackie couldn't stop herself from moaning.

Hyde pulled back reluctantly, and stared down at her flushed face. God, he loved how swollen her lips were after he kissed her. Always made him want to kiss her more, just to see how swollen they could get. But he noticed the healing yet still noticeable cut on her lower lip, and wondered if her moan was one of pain. "Is it hurting you?" he whispered. He softly traced his finger over the fading cut on her lip.

Jackie shook her head, eager to feel his lips on hers again. Her hands cupped the back of his neck, and her fingers extended upwards to burrow in his hair. She loved how coarse it was; it reminded her of him. Slightly rough on the outside, but soft deeper down, closer to the root. "No," she answered breathlessly. "In fact…" Her eyes gleamed flirtatiously, and her hands slipped from his neck around his shoulders and too his chest. "It's very…healing."

He kissed her softly, but then pulled away again and looked at her. The bruising was fading, but it was still there. And it reminded him of the accident…he'd almost lost her. She'd almost died, thinking that he'd never loved her.

Damn it. He wasn't ever going to let that happen again.

"Jackie," he said softly. "I…" He rolled his eyes. God, this was corny! "I just…damn it…" He huffed in frustration. Why was it so hard for him to say this to her? Especially when he knew how much she liked and wanted to hear it? And god, he felt it…he knew he felt it as well as he knew his own name.

"What, Steven?" she whispered.

He looked at her and smiled. "I just…I thought you should know that I…you know…"

She arched her eyebrows. "You….what?" Her heart was racing. He looked hesitant, and so she wrapped her legs around his, leaned up and gently rubbed her nose against his. "Come on, Steven, you…what?" She was trying not to squeal in glee, but it was getting quite difficult not to. Her hands moved to his sides, and she squeezed his skin. He gasped in slight pain. "Steven!"

"FINE! I love you!"

"Oh, Steven!" she cried, cupping his face with her hands. Her heart absolutely melted, and she wanted to cover his face with kisses. But instead, she smiled slyly and stroked his beard. "That's so sweet. But…I'm not saying it back."

Hyde chuckled. He'd earned that one. "I don't care!"

They kissed again, and this time the kisses weren't as soft. Passion erupted between them, and soon they were both lightly panting between the repeated urgent unions of their mouths.

"Oh, Steven," Jackie moaned softly while he nipped his way from her lips down to her neck. Her entire body trembled and arched up towards his. She tugged on his waist, trying to get him closer to her.

Hyde grinned as he gently scraped his teeth against the silky skin of her neck, and his hand slid between his body and hers. His fingertips found the hem of her shirt and slipped underneath the cotton. He slowly plunged upwards, fully intending on reaching one particular destination, until he felt the bandages that she still wore because of her broken ribs. He lifted his lips from her neck and breathed heavily down on her, his eyes closing.

Jackie's eyes opened and she looked up at him in confusion. "Steven?" she murmured.

He lifted up slightly. "I…" He shook his head. "I really can't believe I'm going to say this, but I think…I think maybe we should slow down."

Jackie's eyes widened. This was certainly unusual. Sure, Steven had always been understanding in the beginning of their relationship with the slower pace she wanted to take, although she knew better than to tell anyone about that. But he'd never…he'd never been the one to back off. Ever. "What? Don't you want…" Her voice broke with sudden insecurity.

Hyde shook his head. "No, no, Jackie, of course I want you," he said quickly. He pressed his hips down against her. "Come on, isn't it obvious?" She giggled. "I just…I mean, you just got out of the hospital, and I know that your ribs are still…" He tried to cover up any suggestion that he might actually be expressing care for her with a smirk. "I mean, you know how it is…how I get…I just might be too much for you to handle right now."

Jackie stared dumbly at him for a minute, then her eyes widened. _I just…I mean, you just got out of the hospital, and I know that your ribs are still… _"Oh, my GOD!" she exclaimed, lightly slapping his shoulders. "You're WORRIED about me!"

Hyde groaned. "Oh, god!" He rolled off of her and crawled to the end of the bed. Damn it! How had this happened? He'd turned into a complete girl! He buried his head in his hands. This is what Jackie did to him. THIS is what she did! She made him STUPID! She was probably going to let him do whatever the hell he wanted to do to her, and he had actually STOPPED her! Damn it!

Jackie giggled and crawled after him, ignoring the slight pain in her side. She kneeled behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning her chin on his shoulder. "Oh, Steven," she cooed. "You're worried about hurting me! You can't bear the thought of it!"

Hyde rolled his eyes, but he had to admit that having her literally on his back was a very pleasant experience; her hands on his stomach, moving up and down, her breasts pressing softly into his back, her breath warming his cheek and jaw and ear. Yeah, he could get used to this alright! But still. He had to protest. At least a little bit. "Jackie, I just…"

"No, don't deny it." She kissed his cheek. Then his jaw, then his earlobe, then his neck. "You were worried about me."

He shivered and closed his eyes. God, she knew what she was doing! She flicked her tongue against his skin as she kept up with the soft kisses, and he sighed in glorious defeat. Yeah, Jackie made his life absolute hell, but it was the sweetest hell anyone could ever experience.

"Steven?"

He angled his head towards her, but didn't open his eyes. "Yeah?"

She put her cheek on his and closed her eyes, squeezing her arms around his waist. Tears were in her eyes yet again, but this time, they were happy ones. She finally had Steven back…he loved her. He LOVED her! Her breath caught in her throat. "I…I just…god, Steven, I love you so much."

That foggy feeling he always got when she said she loved him clouded his heart, and all he could do was turn his head and find her lips. He kissed her gently until she pulled away, and he smiled when she beamed down at him.

"Awww, Puddin' Pop, you're smiling."

He kissed her chin. "Shut it, dollface." They kissed, until Jackie pulled back. He watched as she rolled off the bed and moved to stand in front of him, in between his legs.

She grinned down at him and put her hands on his shoulder. "So, Steven, is there a REASON you had to change your shirt before you came over?"

Hyde shrugged. "Well…" And then he figured, what the hell. Jackie would laugh. And her laughing was good. Her smiling was good. Her being happy was the best. He grinned sheepishly. "Sam poured beer over my head when I told her I didn't want to be with her."

Jackie's face froze, her mouth open in shock for a moment, and then she broke down in laughter. "Oh my god! She…she poured…beer…." She couldn't help laughing hard. She could just see Steven standing there with beer dripping out of his hair, off his glasses, from his shirt.

"Yeah, I thought you might like that," he said, amused by her laughter.

"Awww," Jackie cooed, quickly sitting down on her lap and making herself comfortable. She put her arms around his neck. "Well, if I see her again, I'll kick her ass. Just for you."

Hyde pondered that. "Hm. Cat fight." He grinned. "Yeah, I could deal with that!"

Jackie shook her head and leaned down to give him a long, sweet kiss. "Mmmm," she sighed when it ended. "You don't taste like beer or smell like beer."

"Well, I took a shower."

"Awwww, you took a shower for ME?"

"Shut your piehole, Jackie!"

"I just…mmmmm…."

He interrupted her with another kiss. When it ended, he looked up at her. "Come on, dollface. Let's go to Forman's." She gave him a questioning look, and he smiled. "Aren't you looking forward to flapping on and on to everyone about how we're back together?" She squealed and leapt off his lap and began chattering about how excited everyone would be for her.

He grinned.

Yep. That was his chick. The sweetest hell there could ever be.

_Forty five minutes later _

Jackie found herself in the best seat in the basement; perched in Steven's lap. She looked around happily. Eric and Donna sat snuggled together on the couch. Fez sat next to her grazing from a bag of M&Ms. Michael sat in the lawn chair, playing absently with one of Betsy's toys that had been left the last time she visited. She sighed in contentment. It was like the puzzle had finally been put back together after having been scattered and tossed around the room over and over again.

Hyde noticed her little sigh and looked up at her. She was grinning for no apparent reason. "What are you smiling about?" he asked curiously.

She shrugged. "I just…this is good, that's all," she explained, gesturing towards the others.

He looked around at his friends, then back at Jackie. "Yeah, it is," he agreed. He grinned and tightened his arms around her waist. "It really is." She kissed his cheek, and for the first time in a long time, maybe ever, he felt complete peace.

Eric stood up and walked to the television. "How about some…" He turned the set on and when the picture came on, he grinned. "Price is Right, anyone?"

_"JacquelineHyde, come on down! You're the next contestant on the Price Is Right!" _

Jackie gasped loudly and looked down at Steven, her eyes wide as saucers. "Did you hear that?" She bounced up and down on his lap for a moment, until the pain in her side made her stop. Even so, her excitement remained. She clapped her hands together. "It's a SIGN, Steven!"

"Oh, GOD!" he groaned, wincing. Now he was in for it. All he'd hear about for the next month at the very least was how good their names sounded paired together, and how beautiful he'd once told her she looked in a wedding dress.

Pure hell.

Donna chuckled. "Oh, god, sorry Hyde," she said, shaking her head at Jackie's antics.

Hyde glared at her, but when he looked up at Jackie, he couldn't help but chuckle. She had this sparkle about her when she was excited, and even though he'd never want to be that giddy and goofy himself, he kind of liked it on her. Her dancing eyes met his, and he shook his head. "Damn wheel," he muttered.

Jackie smiled and leaned down and hovered her lips over his. "Oh hush," she whispered. "You know you love it. It's your favorite show. Just like I'm your favorite pretty little dollfa…"

Before she could finish the words, Steven's lips caught hers and shut her up.

And for once in her life, Jackie Burkhardt didn't mind being shut up.

**The End **


End file.
